New Delhi: The ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ (BBBP) scheme has increased the enrollment of girls in secondary education by 2.49%, government data show. According to data issued by the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development, the campaign has increased enrollment of girls in secondary education in the last 10 years from 75.51% in 2014-15 to 78% in 2023-24, reflecting the positive influence of educational interventions
.The BBBP scheme, being implemented under the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development, seeks to tackle the decreasing child sex ratio, prevent gender-biased sex-selective elimination, and enhance the survival, protection, and education of the girl child.Since its inception in 2015, the initiative has achieved considerable advancements in enhancing the lives of girls by contributing to improved sex ratios at birth, increasing educational access, expanding healthcare services, and promoting women’s economic empowerment, the data reflects.
The scheme is now integrated with ‘Mission Shakti’, a comprehensive program for women’s safety and empowerment under the ministry, and implemented through 100% funding by the Central government across all the districts through multi-sectoral interventions.With its focus on developing a mindset and behavioural changes in a girl child by informing, influencing, motivating, engaging, and empowering various stakeholders, the scheme has also helped in an improved sex ratio at birth, from 918 in 2014-15 to 930 in 2023-24, as per the data.
Lauding BBBP, Meera expressed gratitude to the government, stating that it has been creating awareness by stressing the importance of the girl child across the country. “This scheme has brought confidence among the parents by giving them the strength to ensure the well-being of their girl child. This has brought a big change,” she added.The data reflect that BBBP has also led to improved institutional deliveries, which rose from 61% in 2014-15 to over 97.3% by 2023-24, ensuring safer childbirths for mothers and infants in many regions, which has been essential in reducing maternal and infant mortality rates.Notably, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his speech on the 79th Independence Day on Friday, emphasised that the dream of a Viksit Bharat by 2047 rests on the empowerment of women and the well-being of children. He reaffirmed that India’s progress is inseparable from the progress of its women and their central role in every sphere of nation-building.