Prime Minister Naren- dra Modi launched the ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ (Save the Daugh- ter, Educate the Daughter) campaign in Panipat on 23rd January 2015 , framing India’s skewed sex ratio and discrimination against girls as a “societal crisis” that demands joint responsibility from government, families, communities and doctors.
Addressing a large public gathering alongside Union ministers and Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal, Modi said the moment was not for “blame games” but for introspection and resolve. He warned that persistent gender imbalance invites “a grave crisis for generations”, urging citi- zens to abandon the double standard of demanding educated daughters-in-law while denying education to their own daughters. The Prime Minister blend- ed moral appeal with policy measures.
He announced the Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana, a small-savings scheme for girls under 10, offering higher interest, tax exemption and a lump sum at adulthood—designed to reinforce parents’ con- fidence that “a daughter is not a burden.” He also led the crowd in a pledge to oppose sex selection and female foeticide, ensure safe upbringing, and promote equal education. Invoking scripture, literature and Haryana’s own icons, Modi argued that bias begins at home—“two spoons of ghee for the son, one for the daughter”—and called it “mental poverty” the nation must overcome. He saluted women’s contri- butions across agriculture, health, education and sport, noting girls frequently top board examinations and win international medals, yet still face pre-birth elimina- tion and everyday prejudice.
“Beti aur beta, ek samaan sons and daughters are equal, that must be our mantra.”
“Doctors were trained to save lives, not to take them.”
“I stand before you as a beggar for India’s daughters’ lives.”
“This is not just a government’s responsibility it is society’s collective responsibility.”
“Not I alone, not government alone this is the work of 1.25 billion Indians.”
“This is not a political agenda; it is service to Bharat Mata.”
“We demand educated daughters-in-law but hesitate to educate our own daughters this hypocrisy must end.”
“If daughters are not born, where will daughters-in-law come from?”
Modi issued a stark message to medical practitioners: do not abet sex-selective practices. “You were trained to save lives, not to take them,” he said, appealing to professional con- science and social duty. Positioning himself “as a supplicant for India’s daughters”, the Prime Minister asked families to celebrate a girl’s birth, plant trees in her name, and see sons and daughters as “two wings of the same dream.” Haryana, he said, can lead the national turnaround if society stands up together. “Beti aur beta, ek sa- maan that must be our mantra,” Modi concluded, urging every household to carry the message of Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao and transform attitudes so that equality, education and dignity become the norm rather than the exception.
