DELHI: Jammu and Kashmir has recorded a modest improvement in its Sex Ratio at Birth (SRB) under the Government of India’s flagship Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) scheme, according to official data presented in the Lok Sabha on April 4, 2025. The SRB in the Union Territory rose from 936 girls per 1,000 boys in 2014–15 to 955 in 2023–24, an increase of 19 points over nearly a decade. However, data on the Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) of girls at the secondary level, as well as the Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR), were not separately provided for Jammu and Kashmir in the reply.
The Ministry of Women and Child Development informed the Lok Sabha that the BBBP scheme, launched in January 2015, has evolved into a nationwide movement aimed at addressing the declining Child Sex Ratio and promoting gender equality through coordinated multi-sectoral interventions. As per the latest figures from the Health Management Information System (HMIS), the national average SRB increased by 12 points—from 918 to 930—during the same period.
The reply, tabled by the Minister for Women and Child Development, Annapurna Devi, further stated that efforts to strengthen the scheme’s implementation include real-time monitoring through a dedicated BBBP dashboard, thematic convergence activities at the district level, and regular advisories and reviews conducted through video conferencing. Field visits and Programme Approval Board meetings are also used to assess progress in States and Union Territories.
While data on the Gross Enrollment Ratio of girls at the secondary level for Jammu and Kashmir was not disaggregated, the national figure improved from 75.51 per cent in 2014–15 to 78 per cent in 2023–24, as per the Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE+) report.
In terms of Infant Mortality Rate (IMR), Jammu and Kashmir made steady progress, reducing its IMR from 41 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2011 to 17 in 2020. However, MMR data remains unavailable for the region, as the Registrar General of India does not publish MMR figures for Jammu and Kashmir and several other smaller States and Union Territories.
Meanwhile, Ladakh, which became a separate Union Territory in 2019, was included in the Sex Ratio at Birth statistics for the first time. The region reported a notably high SRB of 962 in 2023–24—one of the best in the country—though data for 2014–15 was not available. Ladakh also reported an IMR of 16 per 1,000 live births in 2020, comparable to better-performing States like Kerala and Goa. MMR data for Ladakh remains unreported.
Since its inception, the BBBP scheme has seen cumulative fund allocations of Rs 1,279.58 crore, of which Rs 955.54 crore has been disbursed, including Rs 33.08 crore in the ongoing financial year 2024–25.
