Beti Bachao Beti Padhao at eleven years: from a sex-ratio fix to a nationwide girl-child movement

Launched in 2015 to arrest the declining child sex ratio, the tri-ministry scheme now spans dignity at birth, early childhood care and girl-child education through behavioural change.

What happened

• The Government's flagship Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP), launched on 22 January 2015, continues to drive change in the survival, protection and empowerment of the girl child.
• It was conceived in response to the declining Child Sex Ratio (CSR) and pervasive gender-based discrimination.
• BBBP is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Women & Child Development (MWCD), the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW) and the Ministry of Education (MoE).
• Over the past eleven years it has evolved from a targeted policy intervention into a nationwide movement, mobilising government, media, civil society and communities, and emphasising dignity at birth, protection of the girl child and access to early childhood care and education.
• The Ministry says the scheme has contributed to improving key gender indicators — including the Sex Ratio at Birth — as per Health Management Information System (HMIS) data.

For Prelims

• BBBP: Launched 22 January 2015 from Panipat, Haryana — a tri-ministry initiative (MWCD + Health + Education). It is largely an advocacy/behavioural-change scheme (not a direct cash transfer), focused on the girl child.
• Child Sex Ratio (CSR) vs Sex Ratio at Birth (SRB): CSR = girls per 1,000 boys in the 0-6 age group (Census); SRB = female births per 1,000 male births (HMIS/SRS). BBBP targets both; the 2011 Census CSR (918) was the trigger.
• PCPNDT Act, 1994: The Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act bans sex determination and sex-selective abortion — the legal backbone complementing BBBP.
• Linked schemes: BBBP works with Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana (girl-child savings), PM Matru Vandana Yojana (maternity benefit) and the Mission Shakti umbrella.
• Mission Shakti: BBBP is implemented under the MWCD's Mission Shakti umbrella ('Sambal' sub-scheme for safety/security).
• Behavioural-change focus: Unlike benefit-transfer schemes, BBBP's core tool is awareness and community mobilisation to change attitudes toward the girl child.
• Don't confuse: BBBP is primarily an awareness/advocacy scheme (not a cash-benefit scheme like Sukanya Samriddhi or PMMVY), and 'CSR' (0-6 age group, Census) is distinct from 'SRB' (births, HMIS/SRS).

For Mains

Syllabus: GS2.12 · GS1.7 · Linkage L1