Bitiya Aur Birwa

Summary

Innovation : To reward mothers for delivering baby girls

Duration : January 2016 onwards

Location : Rewa, Madhya Pradesh

Key Stakeholders : District Collector, Department of Women and Child Development, Department of Health Family Welfare, Integrated Child Development Service Workers, Pregnant and Lactating Women, Accredited Social Health Activists.

Brief Description

This activity was initiated by the District Administration in 2016. The initiative aims to generate awareness about Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP). The mothers of newly born girls are felicitated and honoured with a plant in the District hospital itself as a step towards sensitizing rural and urban communities about the value of the Girl Child. During this felicitation, the District Administration also handed over brochures on the schemes and programmes of the Government available for girls. Awareness generation programmes were also organized for pregnant women regarding nutrition, balanced diets and corresponding counselling sessions were organised by the workers of the Integrated Child Development Programme.

Factors contributing to success

As a starting point for such collaborations, the District Collector, in collaboration with the Department of Health Family Welfare disseminated details about the PC & PNDT Act to prevent the misuse of prenatal diagnostic techniques that identify the sex of an unborn child. The success of this activity has also been attributed to the collaborative effort of the Departments of Women and Child Development and Health & Family Welfare. Apart from this, with the proactive support of Government officials, Non-Governmental Organizations, doctors and reputed persons of the community, this activity has been a joint effort to take a step towards creating awareness in the community about the Girl Child’s empowerment.

Outcome, Benefits Impact

This scheme’s objective is to promote a system of expression and garner a response from the community. Till date, 8550 mothers and girls have been felicitated and acknowledged in this campaign. The main outcome of this initiative has been the generation of awareness regarding the importance of improving the ratio of girls to boys in the community, promoting safety for women and girls, ensuring that the nutritional needs of every girl are met as well as promoting a positive mindset towards girls’ education.

Challenges and Future Prospects

One of the main challenges faced during the execution of this activity was that a few women were not felicitated by the District Administration upon delivering baby girls due to a lack of resource. Additionally, the lack of enthusiasm displayed by parents when celebrating the birth of girls is due to the regressive mindset of the community. The District Administration’s involvement with different stakeholders would help strengthen the implementation and outcome of this activity on a larger scale.

Source : Innovations under Beti Bachao Beti Padhao