The central government has spent per cent of the budget allocated for its flagship program Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao only on advertising. This information was given in the report tabled in Parliament on Thursday. The report explained that out of the total Rs 446.72 crore released during the period 2016- 2019, 78.91 per cent was spent on advertisements rather than welfare interventions on girls’ education and health.
The panel, of this report, said that the committee understands the need to conduct media campaigns to spread the message of Beti Bachao among the people. But it is equally important to balance the objectives of the scheme. The panel is headed by Maharashtra BJP Lok Sabha MP Heena Vijaykumar Gavit. Due to the COVID-19 crisis, experts and child rights activists have pointed out that girl students have less access to education.
Over the same period, the Comptroller and Auditor General underreported the performance of the scheme at the state level in 2016-17, pointing to “very low expenditure”. Between 2014-15 and 2019-20, states have utilized only Rs 156.46 crore, which is only 25.13 per cent of the Rs 652 crore released by the central government. The panel commented that the poor performance of the scheme has resulted in the under-utilization of the budget.
Official data also indicate that out of Rs 5,31,279.08 lakh released as a central fund for POSHAN Abhiyaan, only Rs 2,98,555.92 lakh was utilized. The scheme runs on a cost-sharing ratio of 60:40 with the major share being borne by the central government. Emphasizing the need to focus on education and health under BBBP rather than advertisements, the panel has recommended a regular review of proper utilization of funds at the state and central levels.
