Beti Bachao Beti Padhao: Centre spent 16% funds for 2021-22 till December, says Smriti Irani

NEW DELHI: Only Rs 35 crore has been utilised on the Beti Bachao Beto Padhao scheme, out of the revised budget of Rs 222 crore, women and child development minister, Smriti Zubin Irani, told Rajya Sabha in response to a question on Thursday.

Data shared by the ministry with parliament shows consistent underspending. Over the past nine years – from the 2014-15 financial year to 2022-23 – the ministry has spent 60% of the total budget it was allocated – Rs 1,270 crore.

In 2021-22 and 2022-23 financial years, the WCD ministry didn’t spend anything on media or advocacy for the scheme, the data shared with the upper house of parliament shows.

Beti Bachao Beti Padhao: Budget and expenditure (In Rs crore)

Beti Bachao Beti Padhao: Media, advocacy

According to the data shared by Irani, a total of Rs 774.25 crore has been used since 2014-15, with more than 51% going on advertising the scheme and 48% towards interventions. This was the trend until a parliamentary panel rebuked the ministry pointing out that close to 79% of funds earmarked for the scheme to support the education of girls was spent on ads. Since then, the ministry has moved funds toward actual interventions.

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Irani said in her response that the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme has been “expanded to cover all the districts of the country” which will be done through multi-sector interventions with a focus on “zero-budget” advertising.

The question was raised by Amar Patnaik, member of parliament in Rajya Sabha from Odisha representing Biju Janata Dal.

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The scheme was launched by the Narendra Modi government in 2015 as a tri-ministerial effort of the ministry of women and child development, education and health and family welfare. However, in the 15th Finance Commission launched in 2021-22 till 2025-26, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme is now a component of Mission Shakti’s Sambal sub-scheme including other schemes like One Stop Centre, Women Helpline and others.