Of the total funds given to states under Union government’s “most celebrated” scheme Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao, 78.91% have been used for advertisements, a parliamentary committee told Lok Sabha on Thursday.
The Committee on Empowerment of Women headed by BJP MP Heena Vijaykumar Gavit, further told the Parliament that only Rs 156.46 crore of the Rs 848-crore budget has been spent on the implementation of the scheme over five years.
“However, to the committee’s dismay, only 25.13% of the funds, i.e. Rs 156.46 crore, has been spent by the states, reflecting not up to the mark performance of the scheme,” read the panel’s report.
Gavit tabled committee’s fifth report on “Empowerment of women through education with special reference to Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao Scheme’’ in Lok Sabha on Thursday.
The committee said that of Rs 446.72 crore given to the states between 2016 and 2019, “a whopping 78.91% was spent only on media advocacy.”
“Though the committee understands the necessity to undertake a media campaign to spread the message of Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao among the people, they have felt that it is equally important to balance the objectives of the scheme,” the report states.
In 2015, Narendra Modi launched the high-profile “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao” (Save Daughters, Educate Daughters) programme, aimed at addressing the skewed sex ratio and “change people’s mindsets towards the girl child.”
