Considering the growing disparity in sex ratio across the nation, several state governments are now initiating schemes to protect the girl child. One of the forerunners in initiating such a scheme is the Gujarat Government with the Gujarat Vahli Dikri Yojana 2020.

Vahli Dikri in Gujarati means “Dear Daughter”, and the objectives and ideas of the scheme totally seem to align with the name of the scheme.

About the Gujarat Vahli Dikri Yojana

The scheme, essentially, is a welfare scheme for the girl child in the state of Gujarat. Under the Gujarat Vahli Dikri Yojana, the state government will provide education incentives and ₹1 lakh to the first and second daughters of the family. This financial assistance on behalf of the state will be provided to the girl when she grows to be 18 years old.

Parents would be expected to fill the Gujarat Vahli Dikri Yojana form for registration to avail the assistance from the State Government.

The basic objective of the scheme is to improve the sex ratio in Gujarat, which, at the moment stands to be 886 girls per 1000 boys.

The amount offered by the government will go a long way in offering the girl child higher education or will take care of her wedding expenses – both of which are concerns parents opt out of bearing a girl child for.

To make implementation easier, the state government has earmarked ₹133 crore from the state budget towards the Vahli Dikri yojana.

How can one apply for the scheme?

Benefits offered by the Vahli Dikri Yojana

The major benefit of the scheme is financial in nature. It promises to offer a total sum of ₹1 lakh to each girl. The payment will be made in three instalments.

  1. First instalment will be offered when the girl child is enrolled in the first grade. An amount of ₹4000 will be given.
  2. When the girl child enrols in the 9th grade, she would be awarded a total of ₹6000.
  3. Finally, when the girl turns 18 years old, the remainder of the amount is paid.

Summing it up

The scheme is a necessity in states where the sex ratio gap keeps increasing. This is a result of regressive thinking which makes traditional parents look at a girl child as nothing more than a source of expenditure.

With changing times, such mentality needs to change as well. This is the 21st century and now, if the nation does not change its mindset, it would be too cataclysmic for us in the years to come. This scheme, in ways more than one, will keep that from happening.