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Centre refutes high ad spend in Beti Bachao scheme; only Rs7 crore spent on advertising
The government clarified that only 2% of funds under its Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme were spent on advertising, countering claims of excessive publicity spending.
The government on Wednesday refuted claims that it had spent nearly 80 percent of funds allocated to its flagship Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme on advertising, stating that only about 2 percent of the program’s expenditure over the past five years went toward media advocacy.
In a written response to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Savitri Thakur, Minister of State for Women and Child Development, said, “No, sir,” when asked whether the vast majority of the scheme’s funds had been spent on publicity, as per a PTI report. Thakur clarified that from the 2020-21 to 2024-25 financial years, the government spent a total of ₹335.37 crore under the initiative, with ₹7.02 crore earmarked for media campaigns — amounting to approximately 2.09 percent of the total expenditure.
The Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme, launched in 2015, seeks to address the declining child sex ratio while promoting education and empowerment for girls through awareness campaigns and district-level interventions aimed at shifting social attitudes.
According to the ministry’s breakdown, the entire ₹7.02 crore spent on media and advocacy was disbursed in the 2020-21 fiscal year, with no spending under this head in subsequent years. The program’s highest expenditure was recorded in 2022-23, at ₹95.96 crore, followed by ₹88.63 crore in 2023-24.
The clarification comes amid ongoing scrutiny of the program’s effectiveness and financial management. Critics have in the past raised concerns that the scheme prioritized publicity over substantive on-ground improvements in girls’ welfare and education outcomes.
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