Introduction
The girl child in India has historically faced various social, economic, and cultural challenges, including discrimination, neglect, and limited access to education and healthcare. To address these issues, the Government of India and various non-governmental organizations have launched numerous welfare and development programmes specifically aimed at empowering the girl child and ensuring her holistic growth. These programmes cover aspects like education, health, nutrition, safety, and rights protection.
Major Programmes for the Welfare and Development of the Girl Child
1. Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP)
This flagship scheme was launched in 2015 to address the declining child sex ratio and promote the education and survival of the girl child. The campaign has three main objectives:
- Prevent female foeticide
- Ensure survival and protection of the girl child
- Promote education and participation of girls
Effectiveness: It helped raise awareness across India, led to improvements in sex ratios in some districts, and sparked policy changes in favour of girl child welfare.
2. Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana
This is a small savings scheme for the girl child, launched under the BBBP initiative. It encourages parents to save for the future education and marriage expenses of their daughters.
Effectiveness: Offers a high rate of interest and tax benefits, making it attractive to middle and lower-income families.
3. Kishori Shakti Yojana
This scheme targets adolescent girls (11-18 years) to improve their nutrition, health, and life skills. It is part of the larger Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) programme.
Effectiveness: It has helped reduce anemia and increased awareness of hygiene, reproductive health, and basic education among adolescent girls.
4. CBSE Udaan Scheme
This scheme provides free online and offline learning resources to girl students preparing for engineering entrance exams like JEE.
Effectiveness: It promotes girls’ participation in STEM education and bridges the gender gap in technical fields.
5. Balika Samriddhi Yojana
Started in 1997, this scheme aims to provide financial incentives to encourage the birth of girl children in poor families and to promote their enrollment and retention in schools.
Effectiveness: Despite some implementation gaps, it has improved enrollment rates in targeted areas.
6. Dhanalakshmi Scheme
This conditional cash transfer scheme encourages families to delay the marriage of daughters and promote their education by offering financial incentives.
Effectiveness: Has contributed to the reduction in child marriages in selected areas.
7. National Scheme of Incentives to Girls for Secondary Education
Provides financial support to SC/ST girls who complete class 8 and enroll in class 9. The aim is to reduce dropouts and empower girls through education.
Effectiveness: Has improved retention rates and reduced early school leaving among disadvantaged groups.
Challenges in Implementation
- Lack of awareness among rural and marginalized communities
- Corruption and mismanagement at the grassroots level
- Gender bias and deep-rooted social norms
- Insufficient monitoring and evaluation of outcomes
Conclusion
While these programmes have made significant strides in promoting the welfare and development of the girl child, challenges remain in ensuring full and equitable access. Strengthening implementation, community involvement, and regular evaluation will further enhance the effectiveness of these schemes. Empowering girls is not just a social necessity but a key driver of national development.