Union Minister of State for Women and Child Development Savitri Thakur informed the Lok Sabha on 31 July that the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) scheme has made measurable progress in addressing the Child Sex Ratio (CSR) across India. Citing the latest data from the Health Management Information System (HMIS) of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), she said the Sex Ratio at Birth (SRB) at the national level has risen from 918 in 2014-15 to 929 in 2025-26 (provisional).

What the BBBP Scheme Does

The BBBP scheme, according to Thakur, works to create mindset and behavioural changes in how the girl child is perceived — by informing, influencing, motivating, engaging, and empowering stakeholders across society. She noted that the scheme has evolved from a policy initiative into what the government describes as a national movement, mobilising government agencies, media, civil society, and the general public.

Under the 15th Finance Commission period, BBBP has been integrated as a component under the SAMBAL vertical of Mission Shakti, expanding its coverage to all districts of the country through multi-sectoral interventions. The restructured framework is designed to encourage greater spending on activities with demonstrable on-ground impact.

Delhi's Progress on Sex Ratio

Sharing district-level data, Thakur highlighted that in the Union Territory of Delhi, the Sex Ratio at Birth has improved from 901 in 2014-15 to 915 in 2025-26 (provisional) — a gain of 14 points over a decade. While the improvement is notable, Delhi's SRB still trails the national average of 929, indicating room for further progress.

Girl Enrolment Ratios Rise Nationally and in Delhi

On the education front, Thakur cited UDISE data from the Ministry of Education, showing that the gross enrolment ratio (GER) of girls at the secondary school level nationally has climbed from 75.51% in 2014-15 to 83.4% in 2025-26. In Delhi specifically, the GER for girls at the secondary level has risen sharply from 99.13% in 2014-15 to 108.3% in 2025-26 — a figure above 100%, which typically reflects enrolment of over-age or repeating students alongside the standard cohort.

Broader Significance

This comes amid sustained concern over gender-biased sex selection in several Indian states, where SRB figures have historically lagged national averages. The BBBP scheme, launched in 2015, was specifically designed to counter declining child sex ratios recorded in the 2011 Census. The upward national SRB trend, if sustained in the final 2025-26 data, would mark an 11-point improvement over a decade — a signal that behavioural interventions, when paired with legislative enforcement of the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act, can shift long-entrenched patterns. The government is expected to release final 2025-26 SRB figures once the provisional data is validated.