Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Scheme

At a Glance

• Launched 22 January 2015, Panipat
• Lead ministry Women and Child Development
• Key aim Improve Child Sex Ratio
• Legal link PCPNDT Act, 1994
• Now under Mission Shakti, Sambal
• Exam link UPSC Prelims, Current Affairs and Government Schemes: Women, Child and Social Welfare Schemes

Where Does It Fit?

This is the first topic of the macro on women, child and social welfare. It deals with the sex ratio and survival side of the campaign, while the education macro covers the girls’ schooling side. Previous topic: Nai Manzil Scheme (Minority Education and Skilling). Next topic: Mission Shakti (Women Safety and Empowerment).

What Does the Scheme Aim to Do?

How Does the Scheme Fit With Law and Other Schemes?

• PCPNDT Act: the Act, passed in 1994 and amended in 2003, bans use of ultrasound and other tests to find the sex of the foetus, and regulates the use of the tests through registration of clinics
• Medical Termination of Pregnancy: the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971, as amended in 2021, allows abortion on specified grounds, and sex selective abortion is not permitted
• Mission Shakti: since 2022 the scheme is part of the Sambal vertical along with One Stop Centres and the women helpline, as in Mission Shakti (Women Safety and Empowerment)
• Savings: the Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana was launched along with the campaign to build a fund for the girl child, as in Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana
• Maternity benefit: cash support to mothers is provided separately, as in Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY)
• Education side: the schooling aspects and school linkages of the campaign are discussed in Beti Bachao Beti Padhao
• Health system: birth registration, antenatal care and institutional delivery are part of the health side, as in National Health Mission (NHM)
• Child protection: a girl child in distress is covered by child protection structures, as in Mission Vatsalya (Child Protection)

What Else Should You Remember?

• Background: Census 2011 recorded a Child Sex Ratio of 918, down from 927 in 2001 and 945 in 1991, and the overall sex ratio was 943 females per 1,000 males
• States of concern: Haryana, Punjab, Delhi, Rajasthan, Gujarat and parts of Maharashtra had very low ratios, which led to the choice of Panipat for the launch
• Phases: the scheme began in 100 districts with low ratios, was widened in stages and extended to all districts from 2018
• Reported results: the Sex Ratio at Birth in the Health Ministry’s information system rose from 918 in 2014-15 to above 930 in later years, as reported
• NFHS data: NFHS-5 reported a Sex Ratio at Birth of about 929 for births in the five years before the survey, and for the first time the overall sex ratio of the population was above 1,000 females per 1,000 males, a figure that is not the same as the birth sex ratio
• Data caution: different sources, such as the Sample Registration System, NFHS and the health information system, give different numbers, so the choice of source affects claims of success
• Spending pattern: a Parliamentary Standing Committee observed that a large share of early funds went to media campaigns and was not fully used, and asked for a shift to local action
• Evaluation: studies suggest the long-term fall in son preference, rising education and smaller families may also explain the rise, so credit to one scheme is hard to prove
• Criticism: critics say the focus on awareness did little for the causes of son preference such as dowry, inheritance and old age support
• Fertility link: falling fertility can raise the pressure for sons in a smaller family, so the sex ratio at birth needs close monitoring
• Status: the scheme continues under Mission Shakti, and continuation for the 16th Finance Commission cycle should be checked in current Cabinet and Ministry releases
• Constitutional link: Article 15(3) allows special provisions for women, Article 39(e) protects health and strength of workers, men and women, and Article 51A(e) makes it a duty to renounce practices derogatory to women

Why Does It Matter for the Exam?

1. Launch: 22 January 2015, Panipat, Haryana
2. Ministries: Women and Child Development, Health and Family Welfare, and Education
3. Law: PCPNDT Act, 1994
4. Place: a part of Mission Shakti, in Sambal
5. Traps: Child Sex Ratio uses ages 0 to 6, while Sex Ratio at Birth uses births in a year

As an analytical point, laws and campaigns alone cannot remove son preference. Lasting change needs economic security for women, equal inheritance, safer public spaces and strict action against illegal sex determination.

Why Is This Topic Important?

• Facts Date, ministries, law
• Data Census and NFHS
• Mains Why son preference persists

What Came Next?

The next topic covers the umbrella mission for women’s safety and empowerment. Next topic: Mission Shakti (Women Safety and Empowerment).

Key People and Terms

• CSR Child Sex Ratio
• SRB Sex Ratio at Birth
• PCPNDT Law against sex determination
• Sambal Safety vertical of Mission Shakti
• HMIS Health information system
• Son preference Social bias for boys

Exam Corner

Mains Angle

Questions ask why the sex ratio is skewed and how to correct it. These points give a frame.

• Causes Son preference, dowry, technology
• Gaps Enforcement and data
• Way Empower women and enforce laws