'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' scheme to be implemented in all 30 districts of Odisha

The Centre's flagship 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' (BBBP) scheme, aimed at addressing the decline of child sex ratio, will now be implemented in all the 30 districts of Odisha after the state government approved a proposal regarding the same.

Reacting to the development, Women and Child Development advisor, Odisha government, Sulata Deo, said, "I thank the central government for their decision to implement the scheme in all 30 districts of Odisha. Nayagarh district had been the first to implement the BBBP programme as a pilot project in 2015. An awareness drive was initiated in the district to apprise people about atrocities and sexual violence against women."

The Naveen Patnaik-led BJD government has launched several schemes aimed at addressing sexual violence against women and children such as Pari and Operation Muskan to name a few.

"The number of rape cases against women and atrocities against females is increasing day by day. We have seen such cases like the Nirbhaya case, Unnao and the Hyderabad veterinarian rape case. The BBBP programme aims to apprise people about all these things in an effort to reduce crime against women and children," Deo said.

The BBBP scheme was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2015 and aims to generate awareness and improve the efficiency of welfare services intended for girls. The programme was launched with initial funding of Rs 100 crore.

According to census data, the child gender ratio (0-6 years) in India was 927 girls per 1,000 boys in 2001, which dropped to 918 girls for every 1,000 boys in 2011.

In September this year, Union Minister for Women and Child Development, Smriti Irani, had said that the Sex Ratio at Birth (SRB) improved by 13 points from 918 to 931 at the national level in the last five years.