A step toward welfare of the girl child

India to provide insurance, cash incentives for girl-child

The Ministry for Women and Child Development is finalising a scheme to provide insurance cover for every girl-child from a below the poverty line (BPL) family, as incentive for bringing her up and providing her with good education and healthcare The Indian government is floating a scheme which will give up to Rs 1.4 lakh each to families with daughters who reach adulthood, in the 10 poorest districts of five states that have the worst sex ratio, including Punjab and Haryana. The Conditional Cash and Non-Cash Transfer Scheme will be formally announced by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, on January 26. According to Nandita Mishra, Joint Secretary in the ministry, under the scheme being floated jointly with the Life Insurance Corporation of India, Rs 1 lakh will be given to families that guarantee their girls reaching the age of 18. Only families that fulfil the following conditions with respect to a girl-child -- birth and registration, immunisation, school enrolment, and marriage after 18 years -- will receive the cash incentives. Bihar , Orissa and Jharkhand are the three other states -- besides Punjab and Haryana, where female foeticide and infanticide are rampant -- where the scheme will be offered. However, while Rs 1 lakh will automatically accrue to the parents of girl-children in eligible districts who are unmarried when they turn 18, they must fulfil certain criteria pertaining to their children's welfare. Parents must ensure that their daughters have an 80% school attendance record and that they are not being forced into marriage before they reach the age of 19. Under the scheme, the government will provide cash transfers of Rs 5,000 at the time of the girl's birth and registration; Rs 500 after every three months, for immunisation; Rs 2,500 at the time of her school enrolment; Rs 1,000 every year till the completion of primary school; Rs 5,000 at the time of enrolment and Rs 1,500 every year till the completion of elementary school; and Rs 7,500 for enrolment and Rs 1,500 every year till the girl completes her secondary and higher secondary education. The rest of the money will be handed over at the age of 18, if the girl is unmarried. The project will first be implemented as a pilot in 11 blocks of the country. While 10 of the chosen blocks are economically backward, the ministry has chosen one prosperous block -- Sirhind in Fatehgarh Sahib (Punjab) that has the lowest child sex ratio of 766 per 1,000 males, according to the 2001 census. “The inclusion of a rich block will enable a comparative study among outcomes in economically varying blocks,” says Mishra. This is only the latest in a number of cash incentive schemes to promote the survival and welfare of the girl-child in India. The ultimate objective is to change society's perceptions about the girl-child, thus curbing the rampant practice of sex-selective abortion and infanticide that has led to a steadily declining child sex ratio. Women and Child Development Minister Renuka Chowdhury said the ministry had proposed the scheme during the Eleventh Plan. The scheme's most significant component is insurance coverage to the tune of Rs 1 lakh to ensure the survival of the girl-child. The ministry believes that huge insurance cover in addition to cash transfers at birth will force families to view girl-children more positively. “Poverty is a huge constraint in the way of birth and development of a girl-child. We realised that well-designed financial incentives can transform negative perceptions regarding daughters and make people view them as assets. Conditional cash transfers can effect behaviour changes,” says Mishra. Similar conditional cash transfer schemes have been in operation in Brazil, Nicaragua, Columbia, Chile and Mexico. Brazil has a national programme that transfers $ 19 every month to an estimated 5 million families. The cash is transferred on condition that a minimum school attendance of 85% is ensured for children between six and 15 years of age. Source: The Tribune , January 18, 2009                www.timesnow.tv, January 18, 2008                www.googlenews.com, January 18, 2008