Impact of Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme on the beneficiaries in Prakasam district of Andhra Pradesh

Introduction

Women are the backbone of the family. Without their education and growth, countries cannot achieve economic development. This represents the importance of the economic empowerment of women. It is argued that a lack of women's education can be an obstruction to a country's economic development. As per the Census Report 2011, the literacy rate of women is 65.46 percent and that of men is 82.14 percent. From the period known, the role of women has always been in a dependent position in spite of their strong support or impact on men. Women shoulder most of the responsibilities to meet basic needs of the family, yet are systematically ignored in the utilization of the resources, information, and freedom of action required to fulfill this responsibility (Gopal & Vijayabhinandana, 2012) [7] . Even though women act as the backbone of the world agricultural workforce, most of them are economically backward. From the studies of the economic survey of 2017-18, it was reported that for each unit increase in the engagement of women in agricultural practices, their role in decision making process increases by 13.9 percent and women empowerment leads to high decision making power (Kavyashree et al., 2021; Shukla et al., 2025) [12,29] . The major barriers faced by women entrepreneurs such as poor knowledge and skill, poor support from family, lack of decision-making ability, and so on (Chauhan & Saikia, 2021) [4] . The recent study claims that low literacy rate of women (60% of them are still illiterate), visualized role of women as confined to household activities only, lack of motivation, lack of support from family members are found to be the major challenges usually faced by women entrepreneurs in India (Jadoun, 2021) [9] . With the establishment of Self-help groups (SHG), there have been some tangible changes in the economic upliftment and decision making of rural women in India (Shinogi et al., 2021) [26] . Women's participation in SHGs made them discover their inner strength, gain self-confidence, social and economic empowerment, and capacity building (Kaushal & Singh, 2016) [11] . They could be used as an effective mechanism for social and mutual learning, an institutionalized process of empowerment, conflict management, participatory extension, and sustainable and equitable development (Kumari et al., 2020) [13] . Even in the 21 st century, in some parts of the country, the girl child is not treated equally to the boy child, not allowed to go to schools beyond primary classes, deprived of all the facilities which the boy child has access to. This problem is serious in some areas where the girl child is getting killed in www.extensionjournal.com the womb of their mothers even before they face the world (Singh et al., 2020) [30] . The son preference has been prominent since the 1980s, which is one of the reasons responsible for the declining sex ratio, as it only promotes the birth of boy children and leading to an increased number of female foeticide cases (Singh, 2018) [31] . To overcome these problems and promote education among young girls and women, the Prime Minister of India, Sri Narendra Modi, has launched the "Beti Bachao Beti Padhao" scheme on January 22 nd , 2015, which means "save the daughter, educate the girl". This scheme was launched in Haryana as the state has the lowest female to male sex ratio in the country (775:1000). The Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme was launched with three major objectives, i.e., 1. Increasing access to girls' education 2. Balancing the male-female ratio and 3. Emphasizing the importance of child rights.

To summarize, the scheme aims to eradicate gender inequality and promote financial and social independence to females and also to prevent some of the inhumane practices like child marriages, female infanticide, and foeticide, thereby contributing to women's empowerment. Empowerment is an active, multidimensional process that enables women to realize their full identity and powers in all spheres of life. It is a process of awareness and capacity building leading to greater participation, decision making, and transformative action (Tigga, 2021) [19] . Another scheme named "Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana", which is a part of the 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' campaign is targeted to provide economic support to the parents of a girl child. This programme encourages them to build a fund for future education and marriage expenses of the female child by early saving with a minimum amount of Rs. 250 to a maximum of Rs. 1.5 lakhs per annum. The account has to be opened before the girl attains 10 years and matures when the girl attains 21 years. Premature closing is possible in case the girl gets married after attaining 18 years (Kalhapure, 2024) [10] . In another study to assess the effectiveness of intervention in Haryana state to improve sex ratio at birth (SRB) was assessed. Results showed that overall, the sex ratio at birth in Haryana rose from 827 girls per 1000 boys in January 2005 to 900 girls per 1000 boys in September 2016. The estimates from segmented time-series regression analysis show that there was an insignificant change in SRB of -0.012 units before the intervention. Post slope was estimated to be 1.684, which suggested an increase in SRB of 1.696 units. The results from the study indicate the success of the scheme (Gupta et al., 2018) [8] . The Union Government has expanded the "Beti Bachao Beti Padhao" (BBBP) programme from 161 districts to all 640 districts of the country. According to the Health Management Information System (HMIS) data, there has been an improvement in sex ratio at birth (SRB) after the implementation of the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme. The SRB, which was 918 in 2014-15, has improved to 926 in 2016-17 as per HMIS data (Singh et al., 2020) [30] . The purpose of this study is to know the goals, extent of benefits, and impacts of the scheme. Beti Bachao Beti Padho is a social programme launched to combat continuous discrimination against female children, raise the status of girls by providing the required education and security, and address the society's gender balance.

Methodology

Ex-post facto research design was used in the study as the events have already occurred. The state Andhra Pradesh and the district Prakasam were purposively selected for the study as the literacy rate of women in this state is low (59.50 percent). Four blocks from Prakasam district, i.e., Marripudi, Racherla, Tangutur, Chandra Sekharapuran, were selected purposively for the study based on the low Child Sex Ratio (CSR) of the blocks. Two villages from each block and each village, ten respondents were randomly selected, thus making a total of 80 respondents from 8 villages. The response was collected on a two-point continuum, i.e., Yes and No, with a score of 2 and 1, respectively. Based on the total scores, the respondents were divided into three categories: low, medium, and high.

Results

Benefits received by beneficiaries of the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme

The results from the Table 1 report that majority of the respondents got benefitted through civil registration system (88.75%), followed by 85.00 percent of them mentioned that, proper training is being imparted to the AWWs/ASHAs and other functionaries in their area under this scheme and 82.50 percent revealed that regular surveys were being held in diagnostic centers in their area, to eliminate the practices that detect the sex of foetus, and 82.50 percent initiated taking bank account for their girl child, which is tax free, under this scheme, 78.75 percent of them are ICDS-NHM mother child protection card holders, 67.50 percent declared that Kasturba Gandhi Bal Vidyalayas were actively undergoing in their area, 66.25 percent of the respondents told that there was an improvement in the weight and anemic condition of their girl child. The 360 0 media approach (employing a comprehensive, multi-channel approach to reach potential individual across all available platforms and touchpoints, both online and offline) is being adopted to create awareness regarding various aspects of the scheme (63.75 percent), the scheme has helped in constructing separate toilets for girls in educational institutions (58.75 percent), 52.50 percent has taken the ANC (Antenatal care) and Post Natal services provided in their area, 47.50 percent responded that Balika Manches (club or program in government schools that empowers girls to address their specific issues and challenges, particularly those related to menstruation, health, and education) are actively undergoing in their schools, 42.50 percent agreed that School Management Committees (SMCs) were actively working to ensure universal enrolment, retention and completion of secondary education of girls in their area, 36.25 percent confirmed that, various social mobilization programmes have been conducted to change the mindset of the people and 33.75 percent got their pending Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PNDT) court cases solved under this scheme. www.extensionjournal.com Is the 360 0 media approach being adopted to create awareness regarding the aspects of the scheme? 51 63.75 29 36.25

Overall benefit: The results from Table 2 show that the majority of them received a medium level of benefit through this scheme, i.e., 58.75 percent, followed by high level (26.25 percent) and low level (15.00 percent), respectively.

Psychological impact

The result from Table 3 stated that 72.50 percent of respondents have gained self-reliance after the implementation of this scheme and are getting benefits through it, 41.25 percent of respondents claimed that their ambition levels had been raised after the introduction of Beti Bachao Beti Padho scheme and 23.75 percent of them agreed that, their self-perception level had been raised than before, 20.00 percent of them were happy that, their confidence had been improved to undertake any task independently due to the influence of this scheme.

Self-perception

I feel that the government welfare schemes are effective and have a positive impact on the growth status of girls.

I feel that there is a real need to implement the schemes more effectively. Socio-cultural impact Table 3 revealed that, out of 80 respondents, 83.75 percent agreed that, child marriages were no more a major problem in their area, 82.50 percent of them stated that, almost all the girls in their area were enrolled in schools and colleges and are being educated, 57.50 percent of respondent's standard of living has been raised, 52.50 percent told that, they were leading a secured life without any problems in their area. This might be because of the support given by complimentary schemes such as The Ministry for Women & Child Development which was established with the intension and powers to formulate plans, policies and programs especially for child and women enacting, guiding, and co-coordinating the efforts of government and nongovernment organizations working in the field of Women and Child Development. The National Commission for Women was launched by the government of India on International Women's Day in 2010 to provide a single window service for all programs run by the Government for Women under the guidance of various Central Ministries (Sakshi, 2024) [24] . But even after the implementation of this scheme, some of the practices haven't changed and were still undergoing, causing negative impact on women, like, 77.50 percent of women still don't have freedom to choose job/career of their interest, 57.50 percent of them claims that, they were not getting equal benefit from their Ancestral property.

Self confidence

Economic impact

The Table 3 indicates that, Beti bachao Beti Padhao scheme had a drastic effect on the economic side of the respondents in the research area, some of them were described below: 78.75 percent of them were more enthusiastic towards secured government jobs, 58.75 percent were confident about maintaining their bank account, 52.50 percent were now very much clear about the procedure of taking loans from the bank, 43.75 percent agreed that, their savings in the form of fixed deposit had shown a good raise after being a part of this scheme, but only 28.75 percent has attained the raise in motivation to invest in new capital earning ventures.

Overall impact on the beneficiaries: Table 4 represents that the majority of the respondents, i.e., 68.75 percent of them, had a medium level of psychological impact, 53.75 percent with a medium level of socio-cultural impact, and 57.50 percent with a medium level of economic impact. Overall, 75.00 percent of the respondents had a medium impact from the scheme, as shown in Figure 1, followed by 15.00 percent with a low level of impact, and the remaining 10.00 percent with a high level of overall impact.

Discussion

The result is mostly positive as the initiatives are well implemented and monitored by the government workers as well as voluntary organizations in order to provide necessary facilities for the girl child and women, bringing up their status in the society, and correcting the gender equality issue. But these impressive positive results sometimes feel suspicious (Leena, 2017) [14] , as practices like immediate registration of the birth of the girl child and delaying the registration of male children are carried out merely to show the achievements of the targets of the scheme, but the actual impact still needs to be achieved. Then, some areas still needed to be focused on more, like proper action against PNDT cases. All the participants were aware of these techniques for prenatal sex determination (Purwar, 2015) [20] . The medium level of overall benefits by majority of the people is because, all the facilities may not be available in the area as well as people are still struggling to change their mindset of viewing girl child as burden which is strengthened by their beliefs and social factors that has led to continued discrimination of girl child (Pandey et al., 2018) [16] . The result of the psychological impact is a positive turn for the scheme. This might be mainly because of the compulsory education provided to the girl child as well as making them engaged in different programmes like DWACRA, SHG, and many others, which will enhance their self-confidence, their decision-making power, and individuality. Self-help group members' personal traits as well as group and social activities were the major determinants of their empowerment (Sajesh et al., 2011) [23] . The results might be due to the gradual change in the stereotypical mindset of the people on the cultural practices like child marriages, female infanticide and foeticide, and also by believing that girls are no more a burden. But still, the girl child is not getting complete freedom on her careerrelated issues and right to ancestral property. Handling a condition like this demands mass campaigns across the country targeted at changing societal mindsets and creating awareness about the danger associated with the issue (Biswas & Sinha, 2020) [3] . He even mentioned that, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme had emerged as a significant scheme to address the issue of Declining Child Sex Ratio (CSR). The positive result in the economic situation of the beneficiaries is because they were made to participate and understand the various income-generating activities, as well as manage their savings through their bank accounts. The participation of women in various economic activities is highly important as it not only lowers the disproportionate levels of poverty among women but also it acts as an important step in raising their household incomes (Gupta & Singh, 2012) [28] . Event by joining a SHG can make them to inculcate a habit of saving money in bank or post office or to save some money for future use (Sandhu, 2015) [25] . Education and support by the parents helped them to gain a certain amount of economic knowledge. Studies supported the economic empowerment of rural women, which promotes equal participation of women in the household and community trainings. Thereby, the respondents are acquainted with the required knowledge that promotes their welfare (Bernardiner & Mangala, 2017) [2] . Most of the rural women of the SHGs or Mahila Mandals had negligible or no income before the trainings but now the trend has changed and they are getting a reasonable income ranging from Rs. 1500-2200 per month after such interventions (Rahman et al., 2012) [21] . Entrepreneurship also proved to provide effective pathways for women to achieve independence and reduce poverty. But in order to achieve this, they should be engaged with various entrepreneurial training and demonstration programs or can even include entrepreneurship education into the formal curriculum (Chauhan & Saikia, 2022; Suryawanshi et al., 2023) [5,27] . The results indicate there was a significant impact among the respondents. The probable reasons might be good communication, which is a vehicle for facilitating social change and empowering people. When people interact with others to achieve personal and collective goals, then empowerment becomes possible (Rogers & Singhal, 2003) [22] . that can change people's perspective on gender related issues through government persuasion contributing sociocultural impact, educating beneficiaries about various government schemes that includes banking, group activities in managing small business, and basic education facilities helped them to relay on themselves for their financial needs, and the success in their roles lead to improve their self confidence in making their own decisions thereby, contributing to economic and psychological impact on the respondents respectively. Sukla et al. (2025) [29] in their study reported that for each unit increase in women's participation in agricultural activities, their involvement in decision-making increases by 15.2 percent. Employment empowers women by providing financial independence, an alternative source of social identity, and exposure to power structures, which can only be possible with education (Priyanka et al., 2021) [19] . In the study conducted by Sinha et al., 2020 [3] , it was reported that 82.00% of the total surveyed officials declared that campaigns that launched under Beti Bachao beti Padhao scheme had led to a major change in the psychological impact of people and almost as far as possible no state is undergoing any sex determination test. With the time and information dipping the gender gaps in access to many extension services, including training, information, and inputs, have been an essential part of the gender-in-development approach. Thereby, it is imperative that programs focusing on knowledge transfer can incorporate a gender-sensitive approach that facilitates inclusive participation of all irrespective of gender (Choudhury & Castellanos, 2020) [6] . So by considering this, studies suggested that gender considerations should be incorporated in designing field-level extension programs to gain a fair share of knowledge gain by women, leading to their empowerment (Paul et al., 2025) [18] . The Beti Bachao Beti Padhao programme had successfully changed the mentality and attitude of the people towards girl children and also motivated them to educate, which resulted in the improvement of the sex ratio in the rural areas of India (Pareek, 2021) [17] . But still there are a few lagging/problematic areas which may be due to the lack of proper monitoring of activities undertaken through this scheme, unavailability of funds, misuse of funds and facilities by the people in power, and also due to lack of awareness of the people regarding the services provided under the schemes. As for farm women, participation in www.extensionjournal.com capacity-building programmes like demonstration, training, field visits, etc., enhances the knowledge level, which in turn improves the income level and their standard of living (Meti & Sathish, 2014) [15] . Independent variables like caste, media exposure, and education contributed to 75.70 percent of the variation in awareness of rural respondents and 63.90 percent of the variation in awareness of urban respondents about female foeticide (Aishwarya & Singh, 2010) [1] . The government workers and other officials under the scheme should be monitored regularly so that they never show negligence in their duties, especially in target-specific rural areas where the means of communication are comparatively low. Also, there is a need to review the ongoing strategies and re-examine efforts that are formulated by several agencies to tackle the constraints faced by the beneficiaries in receiving the services of the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme (Tulasi et al., 2024) [34] .

Conclusion

The purpose of the study was to outline the benefits and impact of the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme on the beneficiaries and to what extent the goals are fulfilled, which has a significant effect on their well-being and the development of the nation. The beneficiaries expressed satisfaction with the changes and improvements as a result of enrolling in the scheme. But the medium level of benefit and impact received by the majority of the respondents suggests that there is still more to be taken care of in order to improve the existing conditions. Some of them include proper fund rotation in order to meet the regular needs of the beneficiaries, providing loans for secondary education, maintaining strict rules in hospitals until the sex determination before birth is completely banned, and providing quality food supplements for the beneficiaries under the scheme. And even necessary training programmes needed to be provided for the beneficiaries to seek the complete benefit of the scheme that is provided to them.

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