Government has adopted multi-pronged approach to address educational, social and economic empowerment of girls

India, March 27 -- The Government of India has issued a release:

Beti Bachao Beti Padhao helps to address Child Sex Ratio (CSR) and attendant issue of empowerment of girls and women. The scheme tries to create mindset and behavioural changes towards the girl child by informing, influencing, motivating, engaging, and empowering various stakeholders. The BBBP scheme has been revamped in the 15th Finance Commission Period, i.e. 2021-22 to 2025-26 and is now a component of Sambal Sub scheme of Mission Shakti. BBBP has been expanded to cover all the districts of the country through multi-sectoral interventions encouraging greater spend on activities that have on ground impact.

These initiatives under BBBP have established an excellent recall value and has transformed from a policy initiative into a national movement by mobilizing various stakeholders, including government agencies, media, civil society, and the public at large. This movement aims not only to address immediate concerns related to Sex Ratio at Birth and gender-based discrimination but also to foster a cultural shift towards valuing the girl child and ensuring her rights and opportunities

Two third-party evaluations of the schemes of the Ministry, including Mission Shakti Umbrella scheme and its components relating to Beti Bachao Beti Padhao have been conducted in 2020 and again in 2025 through NITI Aayog. The studies have found the relevance, effectiveness and sustainability of the scheme as satisfactory.

The Government gives utmost priority to the safety, security and empowerment of girls across the country. To this end, the Government has adopted multi-pronged approach to address the educational, social and economic empowerment of girls.

Samagra Shiksha is an integrated scheme for school education from pre-school to class XII, supporting the implementation of the National Education Policy 2020 and the Right to Education Act, 2009. It emphasizes early childhood care and education, foundational literacy and numeracy, a holistic and inclusive curriculum, enhancing learning outcomes, bridging social and gender gaps, and ensuring equity and inclusion at all education levels.

Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV) scheme seeks to bridge gender and social category gaps in school education by providing residential schooling facilities for girls up to Class XII. Under the scheme, the girls in the age group of 10-18 years from Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), Other Backward Class (OBC), minority communities, and BPL families are covered.

Vigyan Jyoti Programme encourages girls to pursue education and careers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) fields to improve gender balance. It targets meritorious girls from Class IX to Class XII and includes student-parent counselling, career counselling, additional academic support classes, tinkering activities, special lectures, visits to scientific institutions, labs, industries, and science camps and workshops.

With the objective of ensuring economic independence for girls, the Government has launched the Skill India Mission to provide comprehensive skill development and vocational training. Government has also set up the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendras under the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana across the country. Under Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojna (PMKVY), skill and vocational training is provided to women.

Government has taken various initiatives/measures to boost employment opportunities in the country, including for women like Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY), Stand-UP India Scheme, Startup India, Prime Minister's Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP), Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY), Rural Self Employment and Training Institutes (RSETIs), Production Linked Incentive, etc.

Deendayal Antyodaya Yojna - National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM), under which women self-help groups are changing the rural landscape for employment and self-employment. Similarly, National Urban Livelihoods Mission (NULM) is for urban areas.

Government is also implementing women centric schemes such as Namo Drone Didi, Lakhpati Didi, Women in Science and Engineering- KIRAN (WISE-KIRAN), SERB-POWER (Promoting Opportunities for Women in Exploratory Research), etc. for improving the employability of women.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Women and Child Development Smt. Savitri Thakur in Lok Sabha in reply to a question.

Disclaimer: Curated by HT Syndication.