New Delhi, Jan 21 (IANS): Women officers from the armed forces, paramilitary forces and Delhi Police will join the inaugural event to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the government’s flagship 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' (BBBP) scheme on Wednesday, an official said on Tuesday.
The event will be launched by Union Minister of Health and Family Affairs J.P. Nadda along with Union Minister of Women and Child Development Annapurna Devi.
The scheme, aimed at protecting, educating, and empowering the girl child, was launched on January 22, 2015 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Panipat, Haryana, as a response to the critical issue of gender imbalance and the declining Child Sex Ratio (CSR).
Key achievements of the scheme include an improvement in the national Sex Ratio at Birth (SRB) from 918 in 2014-15 to 930 in 2023-24, a rise in the gross enrolment ratio of girls at the secondary level from 75.51 per cent in 2014-15 to 78 per cent in 2023-24, an increase in institutional deliveries from 61 per cent to 97.3 per cent, and a significant improvement in first-trimester antenatal care registrations from 61 per cent to 80.5 per cent.
The anniversary event on Wednesday will also be attended by women officers of the level of Deputy Secretary and above from Central Ministries. Additionally, girl students (My Bharat volunteers), Anganwadi supervisors/workers and representatives of states and districts have been invited to participate in the event, said a statement.
The event will also be attended by representatives from international organisations such as UNICEF, UN Women, UNDP, UNFPA, World Bank and The German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), it said
The Ministry of Women and Child Development’s decision to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the BBBP scheme aligns with the vision of a Viksit Bharat 2047 and the global shift from women’s development to women-led development, a priority championed during India’s G20 Presidency, the statement said.
The inaugural event of the anniversary will be held at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi and include an oath-taking ceremony and the launch of compendium of best practices. The event will also showcase the launch of Mission Vatsalya and Mission Shakti portals.
Similar events will be organised at state and district levels, with special programmes on January 22, January 26, and March 8.