Compendium on best practices by districts to promote birth & education of girls released: Irani

As part of International Women's Day celebrations, the Women and Child Development Ministry in collaboration with UNICEF has released a compendium on some of the best practices adopted by the country's districts to encourage the birth of girls and their education under the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao scheme, Union Minister Smriti Irani said on Thursday.

She lauded all officials in districts across the country "for going beyond the call of duty and making extra efforts towards actualising the cause of Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao".

The BBBP scheme is one of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's pet projects and was launched by him in January, 2015 in Panipat, Haryana. It focuses on districts with the worst child sex ratio (CSR) as per the 2011 Census.

In a series of tweets, she gave examples of some of the best practices adopted by the districts.

"Firozpur district in Punjab has been organising Sukhmani Sahib Paths to disseminate positive messages on saving the girl child and promoting the education of girls. This has helped sensitise the community, resulting in a positive attitude towards girls," she said in a tweet.

In order to increase the sex ratio at birth (SRB) in Thoubal district of Manipur, a specific format has been put into place to streamline the reporting systems and identifying the gaps, irrespective of the place and method of delivery, she said in another tweet.

"Bijapur, Chhatisgarh is preventing child marriages through School Management Committees, which ensure 100 per cent girl child enrolment in schools and establish a link between child marriage and drop-out rate. This has raised awareness against child marriage & encouraged girls' education," Irani said.

After achieving sex ratio at birth of 1039, East Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh is now stepping up and promoting the education of girls through recognition and awards. Not only is the District Administration honouring meritorious girls, it is also awarding schools that promote girls' education, she tweeted.

"With an aim to motivate girls to play competitive hockey, Serchhip district in Mizoram conducts hockey exhibition matches and skill shows to encourage sportsmanship and give shape to girls' sporting career through identification of hidden skills," she said.

In another tweet, the minister pointed out that aiming to inspire and mentor adolescent girls, Tuensang district in Nagaland holds 'Know your Deputy Commissioner and Superintendent of Police' event which helps girls acquaint themselves with important institutions and also motivates them to pursue their dreams.

Vijaypura district in Karnataka is working towards eliminating child marriage by encouraging girls to report it. Awareness generation drives & 'Kishori' meetings are being conducted to develop confidence in girls to report occurrence of any child marriage, she said in another tweet.