The Beti Bachao Beti Padhao is a flagship campaign of the government of India aimed at generating awareness and improving the efficiency of schemes intended for girls. Launched by PM Modi on 22nd of January, 2015 the scheme in recent media reports has been labeled as just a meagre exercise of publicity, but to its contrary, the campaign has yielded enormous positive results.
In the year 2009-10, the difference in enrollment rate between male and female child was huge in comparison to that of the year 2017-18. In the earlier time-frame, more than 50 million male children got enrolled while the number for girl child stood at just 30-plus in millions. The pace with which the scheme has helped to breach the gap is commendable. To put it in perspective, last year, the enrollment of male child surged to more than 60 million while the number for girls’ lagged no behind and touched the same mark.
The Orthodox families earlier used to go for female foeticide or abandoned the girl child; if at all the child was born. The birth of a girl child brought no rejoice in the family and this tradition badly needed a revisit. The scheme primarily focuses on changing the mindsets and deep-rooted patriarchy in the Indian society. It has the motive to punish the families which undergo sex-determination tests. It also has the provision to take doctors to task who help in such practices.
The urge of the present regime to change the perspective of development from women development to women-led development has yielded results on several fronts. More than 100 districts of the country witnessed improved sex ratios at birth, enrollment of girl child is on a constant rise, multiple scholarships for the education of girls have been kick-started and the list goes on.
The government being well aware that educating and giving the girl child the most deserved quality life permeates into the whole family and finally culminates into a better society has taken one of the most corrective measures. The Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme along with spreading awareness about the waning Child Sex Ratio does the task of perking up the efficiency of several welfare schemes meant for the ‘aadhi aabadi’. The government machineries are being made to work cohesively to make sure that every girl child is secured and protected.
The Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme has helped to increase the level of awareness among the masses by instilling a sense of responsibility among the same.