How true are the government’s claims about the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) scheme?
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 26, 2019
Here is a fact-check of
the government claims on the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) scheme.
The BJP government published an infographic on the 48-months portal that makes five claimsabout the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) scheme. This article is a fact checkof those claims.
Did the Sex Ratio at birth improve?
The first claim is that ‘Sex ratio at birth improved in 104
identified districts’.
As per government’s response in the LokSabha, ‘in order to address the declining
Child Sex Ratio, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Scheme (BBBP) is implemented, which
addresses the issues of women empowerment and aims to change mind-sets to value
girl child. It is a tri-ministerial effort of Ministries of Women and Child
Development, Health & Family Welfare and Human Resource Development. The
key elements of the scheme include nation-wide awareness and advocacy campaign
and multi-sectoral interventions, which include tighter enforcement of
Pre-Conception & Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PC&PNDT) Act,
Pre-Natal/ Post Natal care of mother, improve enrolment of girls in schools,
construction of girl’s toilets, community engagement/ training etc. The Scheme
is currently implemented in all 640 districts (as per census 2011) of the
Country through Multi-sectoral intervention and alert District Media &
Advocacy in 405 districts and alert District Media & Advocacy in 235
districts. The scheme is administered through District appropriate authority by
providing 100% financial grant-in-aid to the selected districts and funds are
directly transferred to the concerned districts’.
This Ministry has not made any impactassessment of the scheme. However, as per the latest available reports ofHealth Management Information System (HMIS) and data of Ministry of Health andFamily Welfare for 161 districts selected under BBBP during 2014-15 and 2015-16,(for the time period between April-March, 2015-16 & 2016- 17), an improving trend in Sex Ratio at Birth (SRB) is visible in 104 districts, 119 districts have reported progress infirst trimester registration against the reported Anti Natal Care registrationsand 146 districts have reported improvement in institutional deliveries.
Claim: Sex ratio at birth improved in 104 identified districts.
Fact: The latest available reports of the health management information system indicate that for the time period between April-March 2015-16 and 2016-17, an improving trend in sex ratio at birth (SRB) is visible in 104 districts. Hence, the claim is TRUE.
Are there Multiple Scholarships for the education of girls?
The second claim is that ‘Multiple scholarship for education of girls’.
As per a release of the press information bureau, there are a number of scholarships that are available for girl children. Some of these are:
However, it has to be noted that most ofthese schemes have been initiated years before the BJP government came intopower. Some of these schemes are even continuing as they were, while someschemes have been slightly modified.
Claim: Multiple scholarship for education of girls.
Fact: There are multiple scholarships available for the education of girl children. However, most of them were initiated and implemented long before the BJP government came into power. Hence, the claim is MISLEADING.
Has there been a raise in enrollment of girls in secondary schools?
The third claim is that ‘Rising enrollment of girls in secondary
schools’.
At the secondary level, both the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) and Net Enrolment Ratio (NER)  of girls has been increasing as per the government data. At the sametime, the drop out ratio of girls at the secondary level has increased from17.79 in 2014-15 to 19.81 in 2016-17.
Claim: Rising enrollment of girls in secondary schools.
Fact: At the secondary level, both the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) and Net Enrolment Ratio (NER) of girls has been increasing as per the government data. Hence, the claim is TRUE. However, the drop out ratio of girls at the secondary level has increased from 17.79 in 2014-15 to 19.81 in 2016-17.
Has there been progress in first trimester registration?
The fourth claim is that ‘119 districts have reported progress in
first trimester registration’.
Data provided in the Lok Sabha states that, under the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao scheme ‘119 districts have reported progress in
first trimester registration against the reported Anti Natal Care
registrations’.  Promoting theregistration of pregnancies in the first trimester in one of the sectoral intervention under this scheme.
Claim: 119 districts have reported progress in first trimester registration.
Fact: 119 districts have reported progress in first trimester registration against the reported Anti Natal Care registrations. Hence, the claim is TRUE.
Has there been an improvement in number of institutional deliveries?
The last claim is that ‘146 districts have reported improvement in
institutional deliveries’.
A response in Lok Sabha statesthat ‘146 districts have reported
improvement in institutional deliveries’.  In this context, it has to also be notedthat the provisions for improving institutional deliveries was provided underthe Janani SurakshaYojana (JSY) and Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakaram (JSSK)which entitles all pregnant womendelivering in public health institutions to absolutely free ante-natalcheck-ups, delivery including Caesarean section, post-natal care and treatmentof sick infants till one year of age.
A significant increase has been achieved ininstitutional deliveries since introduction of Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY)i.e. from 47% in 2007-08 to 74.4% 2012-13. Progress is also evident withdecline in the Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) from 212 in 2007-09 to 167 in2011-13.
Claim: 146 districts have reported improvement in institutional deliveries.
Fact: 146 districts have reported improvement in institutional deliveries. However, since major schemes towards this improvement have been initiated more than a decade before the BJP government, this claim is MISLEADING.
This story is part of a larger series on the 4-years of the Modi government. This series has been made possible with the flash grant of the International Fact Checking Network (IFCN). Read the rest of the stories in this series here