‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ drives transformation: CM Saini

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the ‘Bima Sakhi’ scheme by the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) here today. Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini welcomed the Prime Minister and highlighted how the ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ (BBBP) campaign has profoundly transformed Haryana, making it a model for women empowerment.

“Panipat being chosen for launching these women-centric initiatives reflects the significant strides Haryana has made in empowering women,” said the Chief Minister. He assured the Prime Minister that the state would ensure the success of the ‘Bima Sakhi Yojana,’ just like the BBBP campaign.

The Chief Minister emphasised that women form one of the four pillars of India’s development vision under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership. He pointed out the Central government’s move to reserve 33% of legislative seats for women as a key step towards enhancing their participation in democracy. Inspired by this, Haryana has undertaken several measures to empower women.

The CM shared that the Central government aims to create 5 lakh ‘Lakhpati Didis’ (women earning Rs 1 lakh annually) in Haryana, of which 1,45,773 have already achieved the milestone.

He said in line with the ‘Namo Drone Didi’ vision, the state is providing free drone pilot training to 5,000 women from 500 self-help groups.

Additionally, to ensure daughters can pursue higher education near home, 77 government colleges, including 32 exclusively for girls, have been opened in the past decade, he added.

He said women were being made self-reliant by connecting them with self-help groups. So far, 56,000 women self-help groups have been formed, with an enrolment of 6,50,000 women. Besides this, 33% reservation has been provided to women in the allocation of ration depots.

Saini also praised the government’s efforts in youth welfare, employment and skill development. He highlighted that 26,000 government jobs were provided in the current term without any favouritism, bringing the total to 1,71,000 jobs since the state government assumed office.

The Chief Minister further noted the government’s strides in healthcare. Inspired by Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay’s ‘Antyodaya’ philosophy, Haryana is providing free dialysis in government hospitals and extending free Ayushman Bharat coverage to senior citizens above 70 years of age.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also addressed the event, lauding Haryana’s exceptional performance in implementing the ‘Lakhpati Didi’ scheme. She highlighted the government’s focus on women-led development, stating that Rs 3.3 lakh crore was earmarked for women-related schemes in the 2024 Budget. She said 55% of the 54 crore Jan Dhan accounts belong to women. She further disclosed that 70% of the 50 crore Mudra loans have been availed by women. Nationwide, over 1.15 crore women have already become ‘Lakhpati Didis’ under the initiative.

“The Prime Minister envisions women not only as participants but as leaders in the development process,” Sitharaman added.