Essay on Beti Padhao Beti Bachao

Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ is an ambitious scheme of the Government of India, centered on the welfare of girl child and preventing female feticide.

But, before we go through a detailed essay on ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’, it would be just appropriate to go through some of the vital facts about the scheme.

Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Facts

• The scheme was launched by the Prime Minister of India, Mr. Narendra Modi on 22^nd January 2015.
• It was launched with initial funding of Rs 100 crore.
• The scheme has a threefold objective – eliminating female feticide, protecting the girl child and ensuring her participation in the growth of the society and nation as well.
• It is a joint initiative of MoWCD (Ministry of Women and Child Development), MoHFW (Ministry of Health and Family Welfare) and MoHRD (Ministry of Human Resource Development)
• A sum of Rs 280 crore was allocated to the scheme for the financial year 2018-19.
• In 2020 the Finance Minister declaring a budgetary allocation of Rs 28, 600 crores for women and child scheme, it looks like Beti Bachao Beti Padhao will get a good financial boost this fiscal year.
• Indian freestyle wrestler and 2016 Olympics Bronze medalist, Sakshi Malik has been appointed as the brand ambassador of Beti Bachao Beti Beti Padhao.

Now that we have gone through just enough useful information to set in the mood, it’s time to go through a detailed but interesting essay on the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme. Be patient and read with interest and with an objective to gain useful information.

Essay on Beti Bachao Beti Padhao

Introduction

“Beti Bachao Beti Padhao” is a scheme launched by the government of India on 22^nd January 2015. The scheme was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Panipat in Haryana. The scheme aims towards bringing down the discrepancies in male-female sex ratio and eliminate offenses like female feticide. This probably explains the first part ‘Beti Bachao’; however, the second part is equally essential. ‘Beti Padhao’ reiterates the government’s firm stands for the education of a girl child. 

What Prompted Beti Bachao Beti Padhao?

In India, a population census is carried out every ten years to determine the population, rate of growth and gender ratio, etc along with other vital information. In the census conducted in 2001, it was found that the child sex ratio (0-6 years) was 927 girls per 1000 boys. The next census conducted 10 years later in 2011, revealed that now there were 918 girls for every 1000 boys. The 2012 ranking of India by UNICEF on child mortality rate was a warning. India was ranked 41^st out of 195 countries in the likelihood of survival of a child.

Quoting at the downward trend in the child sex ratio the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi had asked for suggestions on the MyGov.in the portal, while addressing the people on International Day of Girl Child in 2014.

      The problem of female fetus abortion was acute in the states of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Madhya Pradesh.

In these states, the preference given to the birth of a boy child over a girl child was leading to a widespread practice of female foeticide. Social customs like the dowry system and a bogus perception that girls don’t contribute financially as they have to move out after marriage were acting as final nails in the coffin of girl a child. Also, the advancement in ultrasound technology had made sex determination of the fetus, pretty easy. However, the Government of India had taken cognizance of the situation banned prenatal sex determination, back in 1994 under the Pre Conception and Prenatal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection) Act. With the act in place, the female population was still on the decline because of the poor implementation of the Act.

Objectives of Beti Bachao Beti Padhao

The scheme has been assigned with three prime objectives –

• Prevent gender-biased sex selective elimination
• Ensure the survival and protection of the girl child
• Ensure Education of the girl child

The scheme addresses the issue of female feticide and also tends to ensure the welfare and education of the girl child.

The Modus Operandi

The government aims to achieve the objective of the scheme through two primary components as detailed below-

• Mass Communication Campaigns

The campaigns aim for ensuring not only that the girl child is born, but also that she gets the proper education and nourishment requirements and grows up to profitably contribute to society. Government has enlisted 100 districts across the states and UTs of India

• Multi-Sectoral Actions

This includes a coordinated effort at the district level to ensure proper implementation of the scheme in the 100 districts with poor sex ratio. MoHFW, MoHRD working in close coordination with the District Magistrates and the Deputy Commissioners to spearhead all concerned departments for the successful implementation of the scheme. 

The responsibilities under the Multi-Sectoral Initiative have been divided between the MoWCD, MoHFW, and MoHRD as detailed below-

1) Ministry of WCD: Ministry of Women and Child Development seeks to implement the scheme through its 1.3 million-plus Anganwadi centers spread across the country. Aganwadi is a kind of child care center in remote rural locations of India. Ministry trains its workers to reach out to people in the village and report a pregnancy in its first three months. Thereafter, they ensure nutrition and education of the child, irrespective of a girl or boy.  

2) Ministry of HFW: The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare monitors the implementation of Pre Conception and Prenatal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection) Act, 1994. It also ensures that no birth gets unregistered. It also strengthens PNDT Cells to monitor the PNDT Act.

3) Ministry of HRD: Ministry of Human Resource and Development is entrusted with ensuring that every girl child reaches school and gets a nondiscriminatory environment to study. It also monitors the girl dropout rates and takes necessary preventive measures. It is the responsibility of the HRD Ministry to ensure that there are separate toilet facilities for a girl child and also that the Right to Education (RTE) is implemented in word and spirit.

Some Steps That We Must Take as Responsible Citizens

• Do not differentiate between a girl child and a boy.
• Disdain any orthodox belief stating that girls are a burden on the family.
• Acknowledge the fact that girls/women are an essential part of society.
• Send your girl child to the school and also encourage others for the same.  
• Educate our sons that there is no difference between boys and girls and both have equal rights.
• Don’t ever consider education a girl child as a waste of money and resources.
• Report any incident of sex determination to the authorities. Your identity will not be revealed.
• Make your neighborhood conducive for the growth of a girl child.
• Don’t take dowry nether support it in any way.
• Don’t restrict the women you know in their respective areas of interest and growth.