Modi to expand Beti Bachao Beti Padhao pan-India

Jhunjhunu (Rajasthan): Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the pan-India expansion of Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) programme from here on Thursday to mark International Women's Day.

BBBP, which was launched by Modi in 2015 at Panipat in Haryana, currently exists in 161 districts and will be taken to 640 more.

Recently, Jhunjhunu attained a remarkable achievement from having the worst sex ratio at birth among Rajasthan districts to attaining minimum gender gap.

According to the 2011 census, the ratio was 837 girls per 1,000 boys. After seven years, the sex ratio is 955 girls per 1,000 boys.

As Jhujhunu has led from the front in converting BBBP campaign into a revolution, the scheme is being expanded, from this small town which has scripted a success story to nationwide, said Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje on Wednesday.

Raje, who was here to review final arrangements to accord a warm welcome to Modi, met several girl students and requested them to participate in Thursday's event in big numbers.

A Women and Child Development Ministry statement said: "The Prime Minister will interact with beneficiary mothers and girl children and will distribute certificates to best performing districts under BBBP programme."

It added that Modi will also launch the National Nutrition Mission ICDS Common Application Software nationwide on Thursday.

This mission strives to reduce under-nutrition and low birth weight, bring down anaemia among young children, women and adolescent girls and to reduce the prevalence of stunting among children.