Centre eyes district-level scorecards for 'Beti Bachao Beti Padhao' scheme, to come up with ranking system for states

To monitor the performance of states for the Modi government’s flagship scheme for the girl child — Beti Bachao Beti Padhao — the women and child development ministry is bringing in district-level monitoring score cards to come up with a ranking system for the states. The ministry will rank them across a range of parameters that include maternal health of new mothers, the education of girl children, as well as capacity building by the district officials.

Districts were earlier awarded as per their sex ratio rankings, but with the new ranking system, a three-tier system will be made. At the national level, an apex committee headed by the WCD Secretary will look at the implementation of the scheme. Committees will also be formed in states to look at the implementation, while districts will have a Mission Shakti Committee headed by the district collector. 

The apex committee will meet once a year and review the implementation of the scheme in the states, while the state committees will meet twice a year to look at the implementation across districts. Mission Shakti Committees in the districts will meet every quarter. 

Districts will also have to come up with a dedicated action plan and a comprehensive web-based reporting system will be developed and put in place by the ministry to enable real-time monitoring of Mission Shakti, the section of the ministry which looks at women empowerment schemes. The web-enabled monitoring system will be backended by a portal which will monitor the programme on parameters such as establishment of service delivery structures, information about the network of institutions available, services being provided, human resources, financial resources and beneficiaries. 

Ministry officials said that the district score card will evaluate the district on its sex ratio and on maternal parameters such as neonatal mortality, infant mortality rate, registrations of birth per 1000 people, and institutional delivery, among a host of other parameters. 

Complaints raised under the PCPNDT Act, events conducted for the awareness of menstrual health, enrolment of girls in primary’s schools, the number of toilets for girls in schools, and capacity building measures such as awareness camps, training of women’s groups, etc. are some other parameters.

The government also allocates over ₹40 lakh each for 169 districts across the country that have a sex ration under 918. In Karnataka, four districts receive the grant. This includes Mandya with a sex ratio of 884, Kolar (907), Ramanagara (912), and Chikkaballapura (918).