Kolkata: The West Bengal government on Friday announced it will implement the central Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) scheme in the state, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said while launching a rebranded programme for girls in Kolkata.
State to fold central scheme into local girl-education drive
Speaking at the launch of what the administration has renamed “Kanyaratna Divas”, the chief minister said that the BJP-led state government will bring girls across West Bengal under the ambit of the central BBBP initiative, which the previous Trinamool Congress administration had not implemented in the state, according to a PTI report.
Launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2015 to arrest and reverse the decline in the child sex ratio, the central scheme combines advocacy, community outreach and measures to improve survival and education of the girl child. The state announcement signals a policy realignment after years in which the Mamata Banerjee government emphasised its own Kanyashree scholarship scheme.
“From now on, the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao will be implemented in West Bengal unlike the past when the previous government did not do it,” the chief minister said.
New allocations and scheme details announced
Adhikari listed several measures designed to boost female education and reduce school dropout among girls. Key points announced include:
- Scholarship increase: Annual scholarship for schoolgirls raised from ₹1,000 to ₹2,000, effective from the next academic year.
- One-time grant: The existing one-time grant of ₹25,000 to unmarried women on turning 18 will remain unchanged.
- Higher education grant: An allocation of ₹50,000 will be provided to every girl for higher education.
- Kanyaratna coverage: The scheme is expected to cover 20,13,000 girls, with a budgetary provision of ₹400 crore.
- International study support: A new scheme named Swami Vivekananda has been proposed to assist students — both boys and girls — who wish to study abroad, with ₹100 crore allotted.
Education, safety and institutional expansion
Adhikari said his administration intends to set up more state-run women’s colleges and place an emphasis on women’s safety, invoking the legacy of 19th-century reformer Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar as inspiration for renewed focus on female education. The chief minister described the budget as reflecting a pledge to ensure no girl drops out of school.
The announcements mark a shift from the earlier Kanyashree branding used by the previous government to promote girl-child welfare. Under the earlier programme, cash incentives and conditional transfers aimed to delay marriage and encourage education for adolescent girls were widely publicised. The present government has retained some elements of that model while introducing new central and state-level measures.
Financial layout at a glance
| Item | Amount / Coverage |
|---|---|
| Annual schoolgirl scholarship | ₹2,000 (from ₹1,000) |
| One-time grant at 18 | ₹25,000 |
| Higher education support | ₹50,000 per beneficiary |
| Kanyaratna scheme coverage | 20,13,000 girls — ₹400 crore allotted |
| Swami Vivekananda (study-abroad) fund | ₹100 crore |
Context and likely impact
Implementing the central BBBP scheme in a politically and demographically significant state like West Bengal could reshape outreach and monitoring mechanisms that aim to improve the child sex ratio and reduce gender-based disparities in education. The combined use of central and state funding, larger scholarship sums and dedicated higher-education assistance may increase retention among adolescent girls, if administrative roll-out and local implementation reach gram panchayats and urban municipalities alike.
Yet practical outcomes will depend on prompt beneficiary identification, application processes, public awareness campaigns and on-the-ground coordination between state education departments and local administrators. The inclusion of a scheme to help aspirants study abroad is an uncommon addition to girl-focused welfare measures and may raise questions about eligibility criteria and selection procedures once rules are notified.
The statement and allocations were reported by PTI. The chief minister also praised the work of state officials while outlining the programme at the public event in Kolkata.
