Govt extends scope of Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao scheme

Context

Expanding the mandate of the ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ scheme, the Central government has announced the inclusion of skilling of girls in non-traditional livelihood (NTL) options in its flagship programme.

Need for Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Scheme

• The scheme was launched after the national census results for 2011 revealed detraction in key gender metrics – Child Sex Ratio (CSR) and Sex Ratio at Birth(SRB).
• CSR is defined as the number of girls per 1,000 boys aged 0-6 years.
• This ratio has showcased a steady decline, from 945 in 1999 to 927 in 2001.
• This declined further to 918 girls for every 1,000 boys in 2011.
• Dip in these ratios is a significant indicator of gender discrimination and women disempowerment.
• It also reflects both pre-birth discrimination through gender-biased, sex selective abortion and post-birth discrimination by neglecting health, nutrition, and educational needs of the girl child.
• Research concluded that the strong socio-cultural and religious preference for boys was the root cause of the problem and this provided impetus for the launch of the BBBP initiative.

Achievements of the Scheme

• The National SRB Index has shown an upward trend from 918 (2014-15) to 934(2019-20), an improvement of 16 points in five years.
• 422 districts out of the 640 districts covered under BBBP have shown improvement in SRB from 2014-15 to 2018-19.
• The National Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) of girls in secondary schools improved from 77.45 (2014-15) to 81.32 (2018-19).
• Proportion of schools with separate, functional toilets for girls rose from 92.1% in 2014-15 to 95.1% in 2018-19.
• Institutional deliveries rate soared from 87% in 2014-15 to 94% in 2019-20.

About Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Scheme

• Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) was launched by the Central government in January, 2015.
• The name Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao translates to 'Save the girl child, educate the girl child'.
• The scheme aims to achieve the following goals – 
• Improve the child sex ratio
• Ensure gender equality and women empowerment
• Prevent gender-biased, sex selective elimination
• Ensure survival and protection of the girl child
• Encourage education and participation of the girl child
• Nodal Ministries – It is a tri-ministerial effort of –
• Ministry of Women and Child Development (MoWCD)
• Budgetary control and administration of the BBBP falls under the MoWCD’s purview.
• Ministry of Health & Family Welfare
• Ministry of Education