The Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme was launched from Haryana with much fanfare by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with an aim to focus on the development of the girl child and her education. Now, two years later, the government has become a victim of its own scheme as several frauds are being committed in the name of the government's flagship programme.

Data from the Ministry of Women and Child Development, which was instrumental along with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and others in introducing the scheme, reveals that so far over three lakh fake forms have been received by the Ministry which were reported to have been fraudulently sold in many cases across various states. These forms were sold on the pretext of submitting them with the Ministry of Women and Child Development for ensuring cash disbursal under the scheme. Official sources said some of the agents who sold these forms fraudulently and caught the attention of the Ministry officials, had falsely promised to provide INR 2 lakh to a girl child between the age 8-32 years on the basis of the forms filled. A large number of these forms actually made their way to the Ministry.

Officials said it all started in some districts of Uttar Pradesh and gradually spread to Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Delhi and Bihar. Sources said in UP alone more than 1000 families have already been fleeced by agents claiming to be activists and complaints have been filed with the police. Recently, Parliament was informed that the case has been handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) which will investigate the complaints and take the matter to its logical conclusion.

To safeguard the interests of hundreds of innocent girls and irked by the recurring complaints of alleged frauds, the ministry has had to come up with clarifications and rejoinders on its website and was forced to shell out a separate budget towards publicising that BBBP scheme has no provision for individual cash incentive/cash transfer by the Government of India and thus, is not a DBT (Direct Benefit Transfer) scheme. A disclaimer has been uploaded on the ministry website and a full-fledged media publicity campaign was launched.

Officials said the scheme was introduced to change the mindsets of society to value the girl child and empower her. The scheme also focuses on strict enforcement of Pre Conception & Pre Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PC &PNDT) Act besides advancing education of the girl child.