BETI BACHAO BETI PADHAO (BBBP)
🧭 Purpose and Philosophy of the Scheme
Let’s begin with the central idea of the scheme.
BBBP is not just a government programme. It’s a social movement — aimed at transforming how Indian society views the girl child.
- Launched in: 2015
- Purpose: To bring behavioural and social change in the perception of girls — from neglect to respect, protection, and education.
- Coverage: Now expanded to all districts of India.
💰 Funding and Financial Aspects
- Financing: Fully funded (100%) by the Central Government for the district-level implementation.
- Important:
❌ No Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT)
❌ No creation of capital assets
This shows the scheme’s focus is on awareness, outreach and behavioural change, not infrastructure.
🎯 Key Objectives
The scheme has measurable goals — targeted year-by-year improvements:
| Objective | Target |
| 📉 Improve Sex Ratio at Birth (SRB) | +2 points per year |
| 🏥 Raise Institutional Deliveries | Maintain ≥95% |
| 👩⚕️ Increase 1st Trimester ANC Registration | +1% per year |
| 📚 Boost Girls’ Secondary Education Enrollment | +1% per year |
| 🎓 Promote Skilling of Girls/Women | +1% per year |
| 🚸 Reduce dropout rates at secondary/higher secondary | |
| ♀️ Promote Menstrual Hygiene Awareness |
This life-cycle continuum approach tackles the issue from birth to adulthood.
📜 Salient Features
🔹 Background
- Started to address the declining Child Sex Ratio (CSR).
- CSR is a strong indicator of gender bias and female foeticide.
🔹 Prime Focus
To change society’s mindset by:
- Informing the public
- Influencing attitudes
- Motivating action
- Empowering families
- Engaging local institutions
⚖️ Key Interventions and Strategies
A. Preventing Child Marriage
- Monitoring cases, early identification, and strict action against offenders.
B. Capacity Building
- Sensitizing various stakeholders:
- Frontline workers (Anganwadi, ASHA)
- Medical officers
- Zila Parishad, Legal Services Authority (DLSA) officials
C. Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC)
Major tools used:
- National Girl Child Day (January 24)
- Celebrated annually since 2008
- Marks Indira Gandhi’s swearing-in (1966) as first woman PM
- Also marks anniversary of BBBP (launched Jan 22, 2015)
- Guddi-Gudda Boards
- Displayed in Gram Panchayats
- Shows ratio of girl vs. boy births — a local mirror of progress
- Parent Engagement
- Direct conversations with parents and communities to understand and respect the needs of girl children
📆 Monthly Activity Calendar
- Each district is provided with monthly themes and suggested activities.
- However, districts can adapt based on their local social realities and needs.
- Promotes customized implementation over rigid uniformity.
🧮 District Scorecard and Monitoring
To ensure accountability and competition:
- A District-Level Scorecard is generated using data from the Mission Shakti MIS.
- Based on this:
- Annual BBBP Ranking of districts is prepared.
- Helps States monitor performance and plug gaps.
🧵 Institutional Implementation
- An Apex Committee under Secretary, Ministry of Women and Child Development (MoWCD) oversees the programme.
- The scheme is now under the larger umbrella of Mission Shakti.
🏛️ Multi-Sectoral Convergence: An Inter-Ministerial Effort
BBBP’s strength lies in its inter-departmental coordination. Several ministries are involved:
| Ministry | Role |
| Health & Family Welfare | For institutional delivery, ANC, SRB improvement |
| Education | For enrollment and reducing dropouts |
| Skill Development & Entrepreneurship | For skilling adolescent girls |
| Minority Affairs | Targeted schemes for marginalized girls |
| Panchayati Raj | Ground-level outreach and monitoring |
| Home Affairs | To prevent child marriage, trafficking |
| Housing & Urban Affairs, Rural Development | Supportive infrastructure |