India Marks 10 Years of Beti Bachao Beti Padhao with Nationwide Celebrations

The Ministry of Women and Child Development is set to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) scheme, a landmark initiative aimed at protecting, educating, and empowering the girl child. Launched on 22 January 2015 in Panipat, Haryana, the scheme has evolved into a national movement that addresses gender discrimination and fosters societal change towards valuing and empowering girls and women.

The inaugural event on 22 January 2025 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, was attended by Union Ministers Shri J. P. Nadda and Smt. Annpurna Devi, alongside international representatives from UNICEF, UN Women, and other global organisations. Women officers from various sectors and girl students joined the event, which featured an oath-taking ceremony and the launch of compendiums and digital initiatives such as Mission Vatsalya and Mission Shakti portals.

The celebrations, spanning until International Women’s Day on 8 March 2025, will include rallies, cultural events, and campaigns at state and district levels. Schools, community groups, and women achievers will actively participate in activities under SANKALP: Hub for Empowerment of Women. Nationwide media campaigns and sustainable practices such as a plantation drive will amplify the scheme’s message.

In its decade-long journey, BBBP has sparked a nationwide dialogue on gender equality, challenging societal biases and championing the rights and dignity of women. The scheme’s accomplishments include a rise in the national Sex Ratio at Birth from 918 in 2014-15 to 930 in 2023-24, an increase in institutional deliveries to 97.3%, and higher enrolment of girls in secondary education, now at 78%. Initiatives such as the Kanya Shiksha Pravesh Utsav and Yashaswini Bike Expedition have further underscored the scheme’s impact.

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Through collaboration with partner ministries, the mission of this campaign is to advancing gender equality, ensuring girls become active leaders of change and shaping a more inclusive India.