Govt spent Rs 401 cr on ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ ads since 2015

According to the Women and Child Development Ministry, a total of Rs 401 crore was allocated for media advocacy for the prime minister’s flagship Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) scheme between 2014-22, constituting about 54 percent of the total expenditure.

The key elements of the scheme included nationwide media and advocacy campaigns and multi-sectoral interventions in selected 405 districts. The scheme aims to address declining child sex ratio and issues related to empowerment of girls and women over a life cycle.

Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani told Lok Sabha out of the total expenditure of Rs 740.18 crore from financial year 2014-15 to 2021-22, the expenditure on media advocacy campaign has been Rs. 401.04 crore which is approximately 54 per cent of the total expenditure.

The advocacy campaigns under BBBP have been able to successfully establish the brand which has an excellent recall value, she said. As an outcome of carefully crafted BBBP media campaigns, the tagline has become immensely popular so much so that it finds place on personal vehicles and is the theme for dinner time discussions at home, she added.