Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme

Why in news:

BBBP program has completed its 6 years in 2021 and PM Modi acknowledged the achievements of BBBP on National Girl Child Day.

The central government talked about the 16 points improvements in sex ratio due to BBBP which was launched in 2015.

About BBBP:

BBBP scheme is a tri-ministerial effort of Ministries of Women and Child Development, Health and Family Welfare and Human Resource Development, and addresses the declining child sex ratio (CSR).

BBBP was launched in Panipat, Haryana

It focuses on districts with worst child sex ratio as per the 2011 census.

BBBPS is a centrally sponsored scheme that provides 100% financial assistance to state governments to encourage girl child education.

Why is this initiative important for the Indian society:

Here, the state has become an agency of social change and brought a remarkable improvement in sex ratio. For example, The sex ratio of Haryana state has increased from 871(2014) to 923(2019).

There is a rise in the collective consciousness about gender equality and this is happening due to awareness campaign under BBBP.It may result in decreasedinstances of child marriages and social evils like dowry.

The educational attainment of girls can be improved due to more number of enrollments in schools and colleges.It brings behavioral changes among the people by countering the stereotype of meta son preferences.It also prevents female foeticide due to registration of pregnancies and increased institutional deliveries.

But some issues are:

There is poor reliability in the official statistics. As per the CAG reports, in various districts of Haryana and Punjab, the sex ratio has worsened.

The diversion of funds allotted for this scheme is seen due to corruptions and lack of monitoring.

There is a lack of anonymous online complaint portal and hence, the practice of female infanticide and foeticide is remains rampant.

A drop in the number of women will cause a decline in population, increase in crimes against women and an increase in human trafficking. With the use of internet and communication technology, the implementation of BBBP can be made more effective. The low sex ratio is an issue ofpatriarchal mindset.Hence,there is a need to create awareness among the people against discriminatory attitude and behavior towards women.