REVIEW OF WOMEN’S STUDIES

of Birth sation Planning Enrolment Enrolment Standard 10 and Unmarried

(Sterilisation) lakshmi scheme of Karnataka are

Dhan Lakshmi scheme  – – a few examples. The state govern(8th standard) ments are ready to invest huge Bhagyalakshmi scheme (Karnataka) 

Ladli Lakshmi scheme (MP) ––( after 21 yrs) Pradesh government spent Rs 250

Girl Child Protection scheme (AP)  – (12th standard) ( after 20 yrs)

Ladli scheme (Haryana)  – 

Balika Samridhi Yojana  – – –  –

Ladli Scheme (Delhi)  – – – 

Indira Gandhi Balika Suraksha Yojana – –  – – – –

Mukhya Mantri Kanyadan Yojana  – – – – – 

Balri Rakshak Yojana (Punjab)  –  – – – – earmarked Rs 358 crore exclusively

Beti Hai Anmol scheme – – – – – for the Bhagyalakshmi scheme for Rajalakshmi scheme (discontinued)  –  – – – –

Source: Compiled by the author based on documents of various schemes of state governments.

Name of the Scheme Birth Domicile Income Sterilisation Immunisation Marriage Certificate Certificate Certificate Certificate Certificate Certificate

Source: Compiled by the author based on documents of various schemes of state governments.

Table 4: Annual Budget and Expenditure (2007-11)

governments utilised the existing infrastructure and manpower (mainly ICDS or health workers). In most of these schemes, the involvement of local panchayats, NGOs, and women’s groups was said to be limited. The scheme has been largely implemented as a programme of the given department. However, in some cases the local panchayat leaders and NGOs have helped in popularising the schemes and identifying the beneficiaries. State governments have also helped in the publicity of the schemes by distributing certificates/bonds in mass public gatherings at times, in the presence of the chief minister. While fund allocation for the schemes has been substantive in the initial years, proper monitoring mechanisms are a lmost absent as are procedures for addressing grievances of beneficiaries in most states. Progress has been reviewed

Name of the Scheme	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11 ment level meetings. Some
	Budget	Expenditure	Budget	Expenditure	Budget	Expenditure	Budget of these schemes under-
Dhan Lakshmi scheme (Govt of India)	–	–	10 Cr	5.95 Cr	10 Cr	5 Cr	– went modifi cations with
Bhagyalakshmi scheme (Karnataka)	150 Cr	132.43 Cr	266.65 Cr	316.65 Cr	229.89 Cr	229.64 Cr	358 Cr regard to the eligibility
Ladli Lakshmi scheme (MP)	276 Cr	250 Cr	135 Cr	100 Cr	24 Cr	26 Cr	302 Cr criteria, required docu-
Ladli scheme (Delhi)	–	–	81.30 Cr	86.44 Cr	83.17 Cr	86.97 Cr	– mentation and the amount
Ladli scheme (Haryana)	21 Cr	25.1 Cr	29 Cr	29.61 Cr	34 Cr	52 Cr	38.65 Cr of incentives
Balika Samriddhi Yojana (Gujarat)	50 lakh	51.4 lakh	1 Cr	2.38 Cr	10 Cr	1.36 Cr	– provided.
Balika Samridhi Yojana (HP)	40 lakh	60.88 lakh	75 lakh	59.01 lakh	80 lakh	80.92 lakh	– Officials feel that proce-
Balri Rakshak Yojana (Punjab)	1 Cr	9.48 lakh	50 lakh	24.26 lakh	60 lakh	12.13 lakh	– dures and eligibility con-
Mukhya Mantri Kanya Suraksha Yojana (Bihar)	–	–	28 Cr	27.44 Cr	67 Cr	65.66 Cr	42 Cr	ditions need to be further
Mukhya Mantri Kanya Vivah Yojana (Bihar)	10 Cr	10 Cr	40 Cr	39 Cr	80 Cr	79 Cr	60 Cr	simplified	to	make	the
Mukhya Mantri Kanyadan Yojana (MP)	19.20 Cr	19.57 Cr	26.18 Cr	25.98 Cr	25 Cr	14.88 Cr	–	schemes	more	citizen-
Indira Gandhi Balika Suraksha Yojana (HP)	95 lakh	93 lakh	91.10 lakh	33 lakh	95.50 lakh 33 lakh	–	friendly	and	accessible.

through routine depart-

Source: Compiled by the author based on documents of various state governments.

scheme called the Beti Hai Anmol with similar objectives and benefi ts as that of BSY. In many states such as Orissa, BSY has been discontinued due to lack of funds.

Coordination between Departments: It is important to mention here that most of these schemes are implemented through the vast network of anganwadis and the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) machinery. Successful implementation of the scheme also requires support and cooperation from other departments such as education, health, panchayats, etc. The offi cials responsible for implementing the schemes spoke about not receiving the necessary support from other government departments, resulting in delays and difficulties. For example, if the birth certificate is not received on time, it delays the financial incentive to be received by the family following the birth of a girl. Sometimes there are problems with fi nancial agencies like banks and the Life Insurance Corporation, including delays in opening zero balance accounts. Lack of coordination between departments and fi nancial institutions has led to delays in issuing bonds/certificates in some states. In some instances the infrastructure bottlenecks at the level of banks, post offi ces and insurance companies also contributed to unnecessary delay in providing fi nancial assistance.

Implementation, Allocation and Disbursements: According to the information available, very little money is spent on the administrative cost for implementing the schemes. Most state

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april 28, 2012 vol xlvii no 17

However, systematic monitoring remains an urgent need to allow proper implementation, gain a better understanding of bottlenecks and to obtain a sense of the overall impact. So far no review or evaluation has been conducted to examine whether the fi nancial incentives provided have had an impact on the parental attitude and behaviour towards girl children.

Beneficiaries and Civil Society

The discussions with beneficiaries revealed that there were considerable delays in registration under some of the schemes as well as in the distribution of certificates. Some benefi ciaries stated that they had to pay money to the local functionaries to get registered. Though, in a few cases, the offi cials admitted that those who were not eligible received benefits under the scheme, pointing to corrupt practices that prevent the benefi ts from reaching the intended target group. Though random verification is carried out by the district-level officials to examine the authenticity and eligibility of applicants, it is possible for some to misuse the scheme in connivance with local offi cials. For example, it was found that some of the beneficiaries of the Bhagyalakshmi scheme are not from BPL households and the parent of the girl child has not undergone sterilisation as r equired (Government of Karnataka 2010).

Nonetheless, one advantage of CCTs is that the money directly reaches the households and beneficiaries, thus minimising the possible leakages in the process. Some benefi ciaries felt that the financial incentives provided have helped in

Usefulness of the Incentive Schemes

On the whole, both the government officials and the benefi ciaries did recognise some positive aspects of the incentive driven schemes. Clearly, direct financial support for girls with the funds being transferred to the bank account in the name of the girl child was seen as a useful mechanism. Further, cash transfer was possibly proving a motivational factor for at least poor families to invest in the education of their daughters, wherein the tussle is always about prioritisation of limited r esources for the son. There is a need to simplify the schemes to further enhance usefulness and thereby expand reach. For example, schemes such as Dhan Lakshmi and Bhagyalakshmi can be simplified for operational purposes by cutting down on the number of conditions attached at various levels of immunisation and school attendance, as with every conditionality the beneficiaries have to meet the corresponding documentation and certification formalities and provide proof of fulfi lment (see Table 6, p 63, for Dhanlakshmi scheme). Likewise, domicile certificate is mandatory for many schemes and poor migrant families are likely to be excluded. Inflexibility in the timing of joining the scheme is also a major deterrent for availing benefits among the illiterate families. Barring, the Ladli scheme of Delhi, most others insist on registration of the girl child within a year of birth.

A common complaint from the benefi ciaries across states is the difficulty in obtaining various documents required to register such as birth certificate, income certifi cate, immunisation certificate, school attendance certificate and sterilisation certifi cate. Offi cials and NGOs also point out that in some cases money is paid by the beneficiaries to hasten the documentation. There is a need to minimise the number of cash transactions per beneficiary. An option of clubbing together some of the conditions and enhancing the incentive provided at that stage could be considered. The emergence of panchayati raj institutions (PRIs) at the local level provides an opportunity to implement these schemes through local bodies. They are in a better position to identify the beneficiaries, monitor the progress of implementation and ensure the transfer of funds to the rightful beneficiaries. Though some of the schemes presently involve PRIs and NGOs to a limited extent, there is a need to formulate clear guidelines for their direct involvement and active participation.

Table 5: Year of Initiation, Implementing Agency, Terminal Benefits and Financial Institutions

Name of the Scheme Year of Initiation Implementing Agency Terminal Benefit Financial Age Amount Institution

Girl Child Protection scheme (New) (AP) 2005 Dept of Women Development and 20 years Rs 1 lakh for one girl child and LIC Child Welfare (in case of two girl children) Rs 30,000 for each

Ladli Scheme (Haryana) 2005 Dept of Women and Child Development 18 years Rs 96,000 LIC

Rajalakshmi scheme (discontinued) 1992 Dept of Medical, Health and Family Welfare 20 years Rs 21,000 UTI

Balika Samridhi Yojana 1997 Dept of Women and Child Development 18 years Rs 6,700 (with maximum Nationalised Bank/ (transferred to states in 2006) rate of interest) Post Office

Ladli Scheme (Delhi) 2008 Dept of Women and Children Development 18 years Rs 1,00,000 SBI/SBIL

Balri Rakshak Yojana (Punjab) 2005 Dept of Health and Family Welfare 18 years Rs 1 lakh Nationalised Bank/ Post Office

Mukhya Mantri Kanya Suraksha Yojana 2008 Social Welfare Department/ 18 years Rs 18,000 UTI Children’s Career State Women Development Corporation Plan Growth Option

Mukhya Mantri Kanya Vivah Yojana 2007 Social Welfare Department 18 years Rs 5,000 Bank

Kunwarbainu Mameru scheme 1995 Social Justice and Empowerment At marriage Rs 5,000 Bank Department

Indira Gandhi Balika Suraksha Yojana 2007 Health and Family Welfare Department At marriage Rs 25,000 to one girl child Bank or maturity and Rs 20,000 to both in case of two girl children

Mukhya Mantri Kanyadan Yojana 2006 Dept of Social Justice At marriage Goods worth of Rs 9,000 –

Source: Compiled by the author based on documents of various schemes of state governments.

Plugging Implementation Gaps

The schemes are introduced with a specific set of objectives in order to have a desired impact. In many instances, it is too early to say whether such an impact is visible or not. This desk review of the select schemes has its own limitations. However, based on the available information and feedback from the

o fficials, certain drawbacks in programme implementation have been identified and suggestions to improve/rectify the problems have been listed (Table 7, p 64). These observations will be useful in plugging the operational gaps, so that the benefi ts from the existing schemes manage to reach the intended beneficiaries. However, a thorough assessment of the effectiveness of the scheme and its impact can only be ascertained through a detailed evaluation. Each of these schemes requires independent review and evaluation by taking into consideration the views of beneficiaries, the local NGOs, panchayats and functionaries. This will help in identifying the problems in programme implementation; such as the need to simplify the eligibility conditions, the required number of documents, ways and means of involving NGOs, women’s groups, panchayats, and the optimum utilisation of funds.

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Girl Child Schemes and Family Planning

The acceptance of the terminal method of family planning is one of the eligibility criteria in many schemes. It also raises a larger question: Why is family planning linked with girl child promotion schemes? It is possible that many poor families with strong son preference and who have only daughters ( often more than two) are unlikely to be enrolled under the scheme. An appraisal of the Girl Child Protection scheme in Tamil Nadu (Srinivasan and Bedi 2009) observed that two conditions of the scheme – sterilisation and “no sons in the family” – need reconsideration as it may actually work against daughters, forcing families to choose between the schemes (daughters) or sons. If the basic philosophy of these schemes is to promote birth and survival of girl children particularly from poor families, why restrict the benefits to only one or two girls? In other words, in reality many of these schemes may attract those who do not have a strong son preference. Most of the schemes are mainly focused on poor households, whereas son preference and daughter elimination are widespread across different economic categories. The girl child promotion incentive schemes can potentially have far-reaching implications and therefore fi nancial constraints should not come in the way of their implementation. It may be appropriate to consider a proposal wherein both the central and state governments jointly fi nance these schemes through improved targeting of beneficiaries and attractive incentives. It is true that the promise of cash transfers provided a sense of security and confidence among families to invest in girls.

Key Findings

Study findings point to the need to simplify the eligibility criteria and conditionalities, and also the procedures of registration under each of these schemes. Though year after year substantial financial resources have been directed towards promoting these schemes, there is a lack of fi eld-level monitoring. In the absence of a proper grievance redressal mechanism the challenges often multiply. In some states, the lack of coordination across different sectors such as health, education and social welfare is adversely affecting the programme implementation. The implementing officers complain that they do not receive the required support from other agencies, resulting in delays and difficulties. In some states, the lack of coordination between implementing departments and fi nancial institutions (LIC, UTI, banks, etc) also led to delays in i ssuing bonds/certificates and dispersal of funds. In most of these schemes, the involvement of the local panchayats (PRIs), NGOs, and women’s groups is rather limited. The PRIs may be in a better position to identify the benefi ciaries, monitor the progress of implementation and ensure timely transfer of funds. Some of the state officials highlighted the fact that in many cases, the guidelines for implementation are not clearly understood and the staff is not oriented towards different aspects of the schemes. In India, the government has greater familiarity in delivering physical goods and services to enhance well-being and has very little experiential

Too many conditions. Difficulties in opening zero balance account in post offices or banks in some areas. Delays in submitting project proposals from various state governments. Delay in transfer of funds from centre to states. No operational procedure to disperse the cash incentives at the state level. Grievance redressal officer has not been appointed in most places. Some of the pilot blocks are Naxal affected, there are difficulties in implementing the scheme. Delays and problems in getting birth certificates from the concerned authorities.

In 25% of the cases, the parents of the girl children had not undergone sterilisation. Nearly 3% of the beneficiaries belong to the above poverty line categories, which indicated violation of stipulated norms of the scheme. In 3% of the cases, the necessary documents were not properly maintained in the concerned offices. In a few cases, it was found that people availed the benefits without producing a birth certificate and did not attend the anganwadi centre. Anganwadi workers demanded bribes from the beneficiaries for registration. Delays in issuing the insurance bonds to the beneficiaries

Explaining the scheme to the people poses a problem. People are suspicious about the benefits promised. Lengthy process of the completion of departmental formalities and collection of documents. Incidences of corruption are reported at the time of registration of the scheme. Timely availability of NSC. Delays in registration of the beneficiaries.

Mukhya Mantri Kanya The programme is not demand-driven so far. More attractive financial assistance.

Vivah Yojana Local officials go in search of beneficiaries according to the budgetary Passing out of Standard 10 (matriculation) can be included allocation. as an eligibility condition to avail the benefit. There was considerable delay in receiving the amount The delay in sanctioning the amount needs to be avoided. Delay in opening an account in the bank. Bribe paid to the officials

Source: Prepared by the author based on discussions with programme officials, NGOs and beneficiaries.