Parliament Question: Funds Distribution under BBBP Schemes

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5617 TO BE ANSWERED ON 27.03.2026 FUNDS DISTRIBUTION UNDER BBBP SCHEMES

5617. SHRI KULDEEP INDORA:

Will the Minister of WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

(a) whether as per the Parliamentary committee's report, approximately 79 per cent of the funds released under the 'Beti Bachao Beti Padhao' (BBBP) scheme between 2016 and 2019 were spent on media advocacy and awareness campaigns;

(b) if so, the reasons therefor along with the steps taken to ensure that a larger portion of the scheme's allocation is spent on girl's education, health, safe transport and infrastructure rather than on publicity;

(c) whether the Government has conducted any independent evaluation of the expenditure on programmes under 'Mission Shakti' to ensure tangible ground-level results alongside awareness campaigns; and

(d) if so, the details of the steps being taken by the Government to enhance skill development and employment opportunities for girls after the completion of their education? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT (SHRIMATI SAVITRI THAKUR)

(a) to (c): 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 opportunitiesTwo 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.

(d): 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.

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