Smt Maneka Sanjay Gandhi to launch Beti Bachao, Beti Padho Scheme in additional 61 districts tomorrow

The WCD Minister Smt Maneka Sanjay Gandhi will formally launch the Beti Bachao, Beti Padho scheme in additional 61 districts tomorrow. The Scheme will be launched by the Ministry at a high level conference at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi to be attended by Principal Secretaries, Departments of WCD/Social Welfare, Education and Health, Deputy Commissioners/Collectors and District Magistrates from the new 61 BBBP Districts.

The Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Scheme was launched by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on 22nd January 2015 and has completed one year of implementation. On completion of its first year, the BBBP scheme is being expanded in additional 61 districts across 11 States/UTs with low Child Sex Ratio. 

Secretary, WCD Shri V. Somasundaran will give the details of the progress made under the scheme at the Conference. The Ministry of Health & Family Welfare and Ministry of Human Resource Development will share experiences of their sectoral interventions on improving the Sex Ratio at Birth and initiatives to encourage girl child education.

The Conference will provide an opportunity for experience sharing and will motivate the new districts to plan and execute the programme successfully. Collectors of select BBBP districts from four corners of the country have been invited to share the innovative interventions undertaken in the past one year in an interactive session. Representative civil society partners have also been invited to participate in the Conference.

A walk through exhibition gallery will showcase the journey of the scheme from few representative states and districts. A booklet will be released on this occasion, showcasing the journey of BBBP over the first year of its implementation. This booklet will present innovative local interventions undertaken in the past year in various districts. Community participation is a prerequisite for the success of the scheme. Representatives from the grassroots have also been invited to share their experiences in the movement for gender equality

The Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao scheme is designed to address the issue of declining Child Sex Ratio and related issues of disempowerment of women through a life cycle continuum. Initially launched in select 100 districts (low on CSR), the key elements of the scheme include awareness and advocacy campaign, multi-sectoral action in select 100 districts (low on CSR) and effective enforcement of Pre-Conception & Pre Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PC&PNDT) Act. It is a tri-ministerial initiative of Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD) with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Ministry of Human Resource Development. The stewardship of District Magistrates/Deputy Commissioners has enabled meaningful innovations at the field level.