Beti Bachao Beti Padhao: Declining funds, fluctuating expenditures; budget drops below launch year

NEW DELHI: Around 70.7% of the allocated funds for Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) scheme were used for multi-sectoral intervention, including media advocacy, in the last 10 years. However, the total expenditure dropped slightly from Rs 34.84 crore in 2014-15 to Rs 33.08 crore in 2024-25, as per the ministry of women and child development.

Although the total expenditure dropped by Rs 1.76 crore last year compared to the launch year, there were significant fluctuations in the spending in the last decade. The first three years from 2015 to 2017 saw modest expenditure ranging from Rs 34.84 crore to Rs 59.37 crore.

After dropping to Rs 28.66 crore in 2017, the Centre increased the total expenditure for the BBBP scheme to Rs 169.10 crore, which marks a six-fold increase compared to the previous year. Of the total expenditure, around 80%, Rs 135.92 crore was spent on media campaigns , indicating that the government intensified the scheme’s outreach during 2018. This also makes it the highest expenditure in the last decade.

In 2021-22 and 2022-23, there was no spending on media campaigns, showing that COVID-19 pandemic may have a led to the shift to multi-sectoral intervention.

10 years' budget allocation for Beti Bachao Beti Padhao

The last 10 years’ data shows that 29.3% of the allocated funds for the BBBP scheme were not spent. The total expenditure is Rs 905 crore, lower than the total revised estimate of Rs 1,279.58 crore.

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What is Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme?

Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme was launched on January 22, 2015, to address declining Child Sex Ratio (CSR) and related issues of empowerment of girls and women. Recently, the Government celebrated 10 years of BBBP scheme by organising weeks-long programmes from January to March 8, 2025.

“The scheme focuses on creating mindset and behavioural changes towards the girl child by informing, influencing, motivating, engaging, and empowering all stakeholders,” the ministry told the Lok Sabha.

Minister Annpurna Devi in a written reply to the Parliament said: “As per the latest reports of Health Management Information System (HMIS) of Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW), Sex Ratio at Birth (SRB) has increased from 918 in 2014-15 to 930 in 2023-24 at the national level during 2014-15 and 2023-24 with a net addition of 12 points.”

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Girls' enrollment in schools drop by 16 lakh

The Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) of girls in the schools at secondary level has increased from 75.51 percent in (2014-15) to 78 percent in (2023-24), the minister said. However, as per the Unified District Information System for Education ( UDISE+ ) data published by the department of school education and literacy, ministry of education, revealed that there was a decrease in the school enrollment across India for the academic year 2023-24.

The total number of students enrolled in schools dropped by 37 lakh compared to the previous year, of which the number of girls reduced by 16 lakh and boys by 21 lakh.

“In order to enhance the ease of living for the girl child, particularly in the rural areas of the country, under the Swachh Bharat Mission more than 11.8 crore toilets have been constructed,” the reply read.