Every year on January 24, the country commemorates National Girl Child Day to provide support and opportunity to Indian girls. It strives to raise awareness about the rights of the girl child as well as the importance of girl education, health, and nutrition, and to promote the girls’ place in society to improve their living conditions. Gender discrimination is a significant issue that girls and women encounter throughout their lives. The Ministry of Women and Child Development established National Girl Child Day in 2008.

National Girl Child Day’s Goals

The goal of National Girl Child Day is to raise awareness about a girl’s rights and to provide girls with equal chances as everyone else, as well as to support the nation’s girl child and eliminate gender-based biases. Another goal of commemorating this day is to raise awareness about the inequities that a girl child confronts, as well as to educate people about girls’ education. Basically, to value and respect them in the same way that everyone else does, to provide a new perspective on girl children, and to reduce discrimination. The primary goal is to change society’s attitude toward girls, reduce female feticide, and raise awareness about the declining sex ratio.

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Steps taken by the Government

The government of India has taken several steps over the years to improve the conditions of girls. The government has started several campaigns and programmes some of them are :

  1. Save the Girl Child,
  2. Beti Bachao Beti Padhao,
  3. Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana
  4. CBSE Udaan Scheme
  5. Free or subsidized education for girl child,
  6.  Reservation for women in colleges and universities
  7. National Scheme of Incentive to Girls for Secondary Education

History of ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’

The Census 2011 statistics was a wake-up call, highlighting how the girl child is rapidly being excluded from life itself. The persistent drop in Child Sex Ratio (CSR) since 1961 (from 976 in 1961 to 927 in 2001 and 918 in 2011) was cause for severe concern because it showed women’s low status in our society and indicated their disempowerment over a life-cycle continuum. Declining CSR is also symptomatic of prenatal discrimination shown through gender biassed sex selection and postnatal discrimination against girls (in terms of health care, nutrition and educational opportunities).

Despite a solid legal and policy framework and multiple government attempts, CSR has continued to decline. The dramatic fall is due to a confluence of variables such as the rising dissemination and misuse of technologies for prenatal sex selective elimination, changing expectations of urban and rural communities, changes in family structures and reproductive decision making, which favours a smaller family size. This has intensified the son preference, which is related to women’s poor social standing, patriarchal societal standards, and the alarming pattern of gender-based violence encountered by girls and women throughout their lives.

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Despite many legislative and programmatic provisions, dealing with negative and rapidly dropping CSR remains a crucial concern. Efforts are needed to secure the survival, safety, and education of girls for them to reach their full potential. In this regard, in his speech to the Joint Session of Parliament on June 9, 2014, the President of India declared, “With a pledge of “Beti Bachao Beti Padhao,” my government will undertake a public campaign for rescuing the female child and enabling her education.” Furthermore, in his Budget statement for 2014-15, the Finance Minister reaffirmed the Government of India’s commitment by allocating Rs. 100 crore. In his Independence Day address, the Prime Minister expressed grave worry about the drop in CSR.

In this context, the Prime Minister launched the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) Scheme on 22nd January 2015 in Panipat, Haryana to address the issue of declining CSR and related issues of empowerment of girls and women across the life cycle continuum.

The Scheme began in 100 districts in 2014-15 (Phase-1) and was expanded to 61 additional districts in 2015-16. (Phase-2). Following the scheme’s initial success, the project was expanded to 640 districts across the country (as of Census 2011) on March 8, 2018.

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The overall goal of the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) Scheme is to honour the girl child and make education possible for her.

2022 NATIONAL GIRL CHILD DAY

Given the country’s COVID-19 scenario, it has been agreed that all programmes will be held in a virtual/online format, with no physical encounters.

Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar-2022

On the occasion of National Girl Child Day on January 24th, and as part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, a virtual celebration will be organised to recognise children’s excellent achievements by facilitating PMRBP winners of 2022. The Prime Minister will interact digitally with the PMRBP-2022 winners. The children, their parents, and the District Magistrate of their particular district would attend the event from their district headquarters.

During the occasion, the Prime Minister would present digital certificates to PMRBP winners. The certificates will also be provided to PMRBP 2021 recipients who were unable to receive them last year due to the COVID scenario. The cash reward of Rs.1,00,000/- to be awarded to PMRBP 2022 awardees will also be sent to the winners’ respective accounts during the programme.

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Webinars will be held on January 24, 2022

Smriti Zubin Irani, Minister of Women and Child Development, will interact with children from a few marginalised identities from around the country in an online event called ‘Kanya Mahotsav’- #LadkiyanJahanKhushiyanwahan organised by UNICEF as part of Azadi Ka Amrut Mahotsav. The programme will be webcast live.

Piyush Goyal, Minister of Textiles, Commerce and Industries, Consumer Affairs, and Food and Public Distribution, will hold a virtual interactive session with young girls who have produced notable advancements in several fields that are pioneering.

Jitendra Singh, Minister of State in the Ministry of Science and Technology, will also connect on a virtual platform with young women entrepreneurs who have made notable achievements in the sectors of science and technology.

These contacts with Ministers will serve as a catalyst, inspiring millions of other girls to believe in their ideas and follow their hearts on the path to economic independence.

The National Commission on Women is hosting a virtual debate in which its speakers will help to increase awareness about girls’ rights and the necessity of girls education.

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#Ladkiyanjahankhusiyanwahan, NIPCCD will host a webinar on “Addressing Comprehensive Needs of Adolescent Girls in India.” The Webinar’s main points will be Healthy eating during adolescence Adolescent Girls’ Educational Challenges and Future Prospects Adolescent Girls’ Psychosocial Development: The Need and Importance

The NCPCR will host a webinar on ‘Legislative Rights of the Girl Child.’ The webinar’s main speaker will be Hon’ble Justice Shri Kalpesh Satyendra Jhaveri, former Chief Justice of the Orissa High Court.

All states/UTs and 405 multi-sectoral districts participating in the BBBP to organise online programmes such as Gram Sabha/Mahila Sabha on CSR, school-based programmes on the value of the girl child, poster/slogan-writing/drawing/painting competitions among schools on STEM-related topics, and stories in local media about BBBP local champions, among others.