Introduction
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday praised the achievements and potential of girl children in India, and reaffirmed his government’s commitment to ensuring their education, health and empowerment.
In a post on X, PM Modi said,
“On National Girl Child Day, we salute the indomitable spirit and accomplishments of the Girl Child. We also recognise the rich potential of every girl child in all sectors.”
He added,
“They are change-makers who make our nation and society better. Over the last decade, our government has been making many efforts to build a nation where every girl child has the opportunity to learn, grow and thrive.”
Little Girls in Classroom
National Girl Child Day: A Celebration of Resilience
National Girl Child Day is observed on January 24 every year to raise awareness about the rights and importance of girl children in India. The day also aims to address the various challenges faced by them, such as discrimination, violence, child marriage, female foeticide, and lack of access to education and healthcare.
PM Modi’s Advocacy towards education for girls
The Modi government had launched its flagship scheme, ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ (Save daughters, educate daughters), in 2015 to boost the child sex ratio and empower girls through different measures. The scheme involves coordinated efforts by various ministries and departments, such as health, education, women and child development, and social justice and empowerment.
The scheme also provides incentives for families to save and invest for their daughters’ future through the ‘Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana’, a savings scheme that offers tax benefits and higher interest rates. The scheme has over 3.6 crore accounts with a corpus of more than Rs 1.6 lakh crore, as of March 2020.
Government initiatives
Apart from the central government, several state governments and civil society organisations also organise various events and activities to mark the National Girl Child Day. For instance, the Telangana Police’s SHE Teams, a special unit to prevent crimes against women and girls, organised comprehensive awareness programmes at various schools in Hyderabad on January 23, 2024.
The programmes included interactive sessions, skits, games, and quizzes on topics such as gender equality, self-defence, cyber safety, and legal rights. The SHE Teams also distributed prizes and certificates to the participants and encouraged them to report any incidents of harassment or abuse.
The SHE Teams, under the guidance of the Joint Commissioner of Police Crimes and SIT and Deputy Commissioner of Police Women Safety Wing, said that the programmes were aimed at creating a safe and conducive environment for girl children in the city.
Objectives for National Girl Child Day 2024
The theme for this year’s celebration was officially announced by the Indian government to be
“Digital Generation, Our Generation, Our Time is Now—Our Rights, Our Future.”
This reflects the aspirations and ambitions of the young girls who are using digital technologies to learn, communicate, and express themselves.
The objectives of National Girl Child Day are:
Increase consciousness: The primary objective of National Girl Child Day is to raise awareness among the general population about the issues faced by the girl child in society.
Offer new opportunities: National Girl Child Day aims to provide new opportunities for the girl child, ensuring that they have access to education, healthcare, and other essential services that contribute to their overall development and well-being.
Remove inequalities: Another objective is to eliminate all forms of inequality and discrimination faced by the girl child, whether in terms of access to education, healthcare, or opportunities for advancement.
Ensure human rights: National Girl Child Day seeks to ensure that every girl child receives all her human rights, including the right to life, education, and protection from exploitation and abuse.
Combat gender discrimination: The day also serves as a platform to raise awareness and take action against gender discrimination, challenging harmful societal norms and stereotypes that perpetuate inequality.
Address child sex ratio decline: National Girl Child Day endeavors to address the declining child sex ratio in India by changing societal attitudes and perceptions towards girls and advocating for their equal worth and value.
Highlight importance and role: It aims to increase awareness about the importance and pivotal role of the girl child in families, communities, and society at large, emphasizing their potential and contributions.
Provide opportunities and rights: National Girl Child Day advocates for providing girls with equal opportunities and rights for their betterment, enabling them to pursue their aspirations and fulfill their potential.
Educate on health and nutrition: It seeks to educate people about the importance of health and nutrition for girls, emphasizing the need for access to quality healthcare services and proper nutrition to ensure their well-being and development.
Ensure equal rights to mobility: Lastly, National Girl Child Day aims to promote equal rights and freedoms for girls, including the right to mobility and the ability to move freely across the country without facing barriers or restrictions based on gender.
The theme of National Girl Child Day in 2019 was “Empowering Girls for a Brighter Tomorrow”. This means that every child, whether a boy or a girl, is valuable and has a role to play in the country’s future. Girls should be given equal rights and chances in our society for the benefit of the Nation as a whole.
Schemes for Empowering the Girl Child
The Indian government has launched various schemes and initiatives to improve the living status and empowerment of the girl child. Some of these are:
The determination of sex in clinics during pregnancy has been banned by the government to prevent sex-selective abortions.
Child marriages of girls are prohibited by law and the government is taking steps to enforce the legal age of marriage for girls, which is 18 years.
To save and educate the girl child, the government has introduced the ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ (Save daughters, educate daughters) scheme, which involves coordinated efforts by various ministries and departments, such as health, education, women and child development, and social justice and empowerment.
To provide financial security and incentives for the education of the girl child, the government has launched the ‘Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana’, a savings scheme that offers tax benefits and higher interest rates. The scheme has over 3.6 crore accounts with a corpus of more than Rs 1.6 lakh crore, as of March 2020.
To fight malnutrition, high illiteracy, poverty, and infant mortality among girls, the government has made antenatal care mandatory for all pregnant women and has provided free and compulsory education for both boys and girls till 14 years of age.
To ensure the employment and status of women, the government has enacted many laws, such as the Anti-Sati Act, the Anti-MTP Act, the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act, and the Dowry Prohibition Act.
To give equal rights and opportunities to girls, the government has made several rules and policies, such as the National Policy for Women, the National Policy for the Empowerment of Women, the National Commission for Women, and the National Mission for Empowerment of Women.
To improve the education status of girls in backward states, the government has implemented five-year plans and schemes, such as the ‘Operation Blackboard’, which provides higher education for teachers, and the ‘Balwadi Creches’, which care for babies and also make them visit primary schools.
To enhance the livelihood of rural girls, the government has introduced self-help groups (SHGs), which are groups of women who pool their savings and take loans for various income-generating activities.
To facilitate the access and participation of girls in higher education, the government has established the open learning system, which allows girls from backward classes to enroll in distance education courses.
National Scheme of Incentive to Girls for Secondary Education
The ‘National Scheme of Incentive to Girls for Secondary Education’ (NSIGSE) is a central government scheme launched in 2008 to promote the enrollment and retention of girls from SC/ST communities in secondary schools. The scheme also aims to prevent the dropout of these girls until they turn 18.
The scheme covers two groups of girls: (i) all SC/ST girls who pass class VIII, and (ii) all girls who clear class VIII from Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (irrespective of SC/ST status) and join class IX in State/UT Government, Government-aided, and Local Body schools.
The eligible girls receive a fixed deposit of ₹3000/- when they enroll in class IX. They can withdraw the deposit and the interest when they are 18 years old and pass the Class X exam.
Balika Samridhhi Yojana
The Balika Samridhhi Yojana scheme was started in 1997 by the Ministry of Women and Child Development to provide financial assistance to girl children from the BPL category. The scheme gives a grant of ₹500 to the mother when a girl child is born, and also gives yearly scholarships for the child’s education."
Conclusion
As India celebrates National Girl Child Day, it is imperative to recognize the intrinsic value and potential of every girl child. PM Modi's vision of an inclusive and empowered society resonates deeply with the government's initiatives aimed at uplifting the status of the girl child. By fostering awareness, eliminating inequalities, and promoting equal opportunities, we can create a brighter and more equitable future for girls across the nation. Let us reaffirm our commitment to empowering India's girl child and building a society where every girl can thrive and contribute to the nation's progress.
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