1. Modi schemes for Girl Child
    1. Beti Bachao Beti Padhao
    2. Sukanya Samridhi Yojana
  2. Acid Attack victims
  3. IUCAW units Women safety
  4. Mock Questions

Modi schemes for Girl Child

Who Women and Child Development ministry, under Maneka Gandhi
What? Two schemes, to improve child sex-ratio (present 918/1000)

  1. Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao (BBBP)
  2. Sukanya Samriddhi account (girl child prosperity scheme) – it is a sub-component of BBBP

Let’s check’em one by one:

Child Sex Ratio India

Why must we protect girl child?

Beti Bachao Beti Padhao

Three objectives

  1. Prevent female infanticide
  2. Ensure every girl child is protected
  3. Ensure every girl child is educated
Targets (as of December 2014 guidelines)
Target How much?
Initial focus
  • 100 districts with low sex ratio.
  • Atleast 1 district in each state.
  • Harayana’s 12 districts covered because it’s the most bogus state in sex ratio
In 100 critical districts, improve sex ratio by 10 points in a year 10 more girls per 1000 babies born
Reduce gender difference under-5 child mortality 4 points by 2017
Increase girls in secondary schools 79% by 2017
Separate toilets for girls (by 2015)
  • Over 95,000 toilets @primary schools
  • Over 6500 toilets @secondary schools
New Kasturba Gandhi bal vidhyalay ~50 more by 2015.
Celebrate girl child day 24th January

Implementation

Salient Features of Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Yojana

Salient Features of Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Yojana

Administrative

  1. District collector will head a district taskforce, will network with schools-colleges, NGOs, companies aiming to spend CSR-funds, media, youth and so on.
  2. Same way SDM will head block-task-force.
  3. One nodal officer in each department for monitoring the district plans.

Child marriages

  1. In North India, Child marriages held on Akshaya Tritiya- so additional surveillance during that period.
  2. Panchayat will be held accountable if child marriages occur.
  3. Create parliamentary forum of MPs representing 100 districts.

Birth and female feticide

  1. Collector and District judge will submit collaborate on PNDT cases, submit monthly reports to union government. Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques
  2. Regular inspection of clinics in district.
  3. Online portal for filling anonymous complaints. Reward system for informants- about doctors involved in sex-determination, illegal abortion, ultrasound machines etc.
  4. Asha workers will give mother-child protection card.
  5. If pregnant mother registered under Indira Gandhi Matritva Sahyog yojana in 1st trimester, she’ll be given Rs.3500/-
  6. Reduce no. of underweight girls under 5 age
  7. Panchayat to display gudda-guddi board – number of new born boys and girls -every month.

Protection

  1. Strictly implement POCSO Act to save girl-child from sexual abuse. POCSO= Protection of children from sexual offenses Act 2012.
  2. Shelters: Sabla, Swadhar-grih, working women’s hostel and so on.
  3. Make community watch group of women- to ensure protective environment for girl child.

Education

  1. School Management Committees to ensure all girl child enroll.
  2. Identify problems faced by girl-child in coming to school e.g. taking care of siblings, collection of water-firewood, transport-safety, separate toilets, lack of uniform and textbooks and so on. Then help accordingly.
  3. Introduce syllabus with gender equality.

Behavioral change

With help of religious leaders and community leaders, introduce social customs with Gender equality e.g.

  1. Celebrate birth of girl-child similar to Lohri
  2. Siblings should tie Rakhi to each other during Raksha-Bandhan
  3. Promote concept of Ardhangini (equal life partner), and Encourage equal property rights.
  4. Discourage the first preference to son. Allow daughters to perform last rites of parents.
  5. Promote simple weddings, mass-wedding to reduce cost on girls’ parents.
  6. Prevent child marriage, dowry practice.
  7. Government officials should keep email signature “Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao”.
  8. Poster-awareness material, advertisements, song-dramas, social media, google-hangout

Rewards under Beti Bachao

  1. If a Village uses “innovative” methods to improve sex-ratio, it’ll be given Rs.1 crore.
  2. District collectors/DM, campaign ambassadors, grassroot workers will also be given suitable reward.
  3. School Management Committees will be rewarded if 100% girl children enrolled, and pass in each class.

Sukanya Samridhi Yojana

  • This small-deposit scheme is subpart of Beti Bachao campaign.
  • (Minor) bank account for girl child below the age of 10.
  • She can withdraw 50% of the money after reaching age of 18 e.g. for higher education. 18 years deadline will also help preventing child-marriages. (Although scheme is silent- on whether account money will be forfeited if child marriage done.)
  • For initial account opening, minimum deposit Rs.1000 required.
  • Later, any amount in multiple of 100 can be deposited, but maximum Rs. 1.5 lakh per year.
  • Interest rate: 9.1% compounded annually. No income tax for this year.
  • Account can be opened via post office or commercial banks, Account will remain operative until she reaches 21 age.
  • Why in News? Modi launched this scheme in January 2015.

Acid Attack victims

Home ministry gave following guidelines against Acid-attacks on women;

  • District administration will give license to acid-seller, only after “KYC-like” norms – id-proof, address proof etc.
  • A web-portal for stockists, retailers, their id proofs.
  • Hospitals will treat Acid Attack victims in hassle free manner- without asking for cash, FIR etc.
  • Home ministry will setup a compensation fund- to pay for victim’s medical expenses. Helath ministry, Finance ministry and Sarkaari Insurance companies will support this fund.
  • Acid attacks will be treated as “Heinous Crimes”.
  • Court Trial will be finished in 60 days. (as per provisions of Criminal law act 2013)
  • Law will be amended further- to put deadlines on police-investigation, and even appeals in higher courts- to ensure speedy justice. (otherwise if criminal convicted in lower court, then goes to appeal in HC and SC for years, then purpose is defeated.)
  • Acid Attack victims will be included in “Physically disabled” category- so they can benefit from PH-reservation in sarkaari jobs, college admissions, vocational-training, loans & other schemes.

Criticism

  1. Large volume of acid sold via blackmarket. Barely 1 bottle required to attack someone. That much can be siphoned off even through registered acid-seller.
  2. To evade registration norms, chemical factories are changing the product-description, avoid labelling shipments as “Acid”.
  3. Most acid attackers are spurned lovers. This type of medieval-mindset must be changed through gender sensitive, value-based moral education from primary school itself.

IUCAW units Women safety

Who? Home ministry
What? Investigative Units on Crimes against Women (IUCAW)
Where?
  • 20% districts In each state. (~150 units across India, total 2250 personnel, 750 of them to be women).
  • Home ministry also advised the states to setup fast track courts for crime against women.
Cost? 50:50 cost sharing between Union : State

IUCAW Structure-function

  • Each team to have 15 personnel, 5 of them women. Although States will have flexibility- to create new posts.
  • Leader: Addl.SP, supported by two Dy.SP.
  • They’ll investigate crimes against women- Rape, Dowry Death, Acid Attack, prostitution and Human Trafficking.
  • Intelligence gathering, fight against organized crime, awareness, public participation etc.
  • They’ll instil confidence among women, encourage them to approach police for help.

Mock Questions

Q1. Find correct statements about Beti bachao-beti padhaao (BBBP)

  1. It’ll be implemented through ministry of human resource Development.
  2. Subkanya Samriddhi account is a sub-component of BBBP.
  3. Both A and B
  4. Neither A nor B

Q2. What are the focus areas of Beti bachao-beti padhaao (BBBP)

  1. Replace POSCO act with a more stringent act.
  2. Reduce malnutrition among girls
  3. Give additional judicial powers to District collector for implementation of PNDT Act

Answer choices

  1. Only 1 and 2
  2. Only 2 and 3
  3. Only 1 and 3
  4. None of them

Q3. What are the salient features of Sukanya Samridhi Yojana

  1. It is mean for girl child of 10 years or above.
  2. It can be opened with nil-balance.
  3. Girl child receives free 1 lakh accident insurance and 30,000 life insurance tied up with her account.

Answer choices

  1. Only 1 and 2
  2. Only 2 and 3
  3. Only 1 and 3
  4. None of them

Q4. Recently ____ ministry issued guidelines to stop Acid attacks against women

  1. Chemical
  2. Social justice
  3. woman and child Development
  4. home

Q5. Consider following statements about the proposed Investigative Units on Crimes against Women (IUCAW)

  1. under this scheme, each state capital / UT and all metro cities will have dedicate police units for crime against women
  2. These units will be given additional powers to search-seize and arrest beyond the traditional powers available to a police office under CrPC.
  3. These units will get 100% funding from union Government

Answer choices

  1. Only 1 and 2
  2. Only 2 and 3
  3. Only 1 and 3
  4. None of them

Descriptive Questions

  1. Discuss the factors responsible for decline of child sex-ratio in India and list the initiatives taken by various governments so far.
  2. What are the objectives of about Beti bachao-beti padhaao. Discuss the measures provided under the scheme to implement them. Suggest additional reforms if any.
  3. Discuss in brief, Home ministry’s guidelines to prevent acid attacks against women.