Resources · Girls
Save the girl child: what the law actually gives her, and how a family claims it
“Save the girl child” is a slogan attached to a real legal framework — a law against sex selection, a savings account with a guaranteed rate, a right to a school place, a minimum age of marriage, and a set of state payments. This page sets out what each one actually provides, with the figure and the source, and corrects the claims that are most often got wrong, including two that cost families money.
Read this first
Six things widely repeated that are wrong
Every correction below is checked against the Government's own wording. The first one is used by scam callers and fake “application” websites, so it matters most.
“Beti Bachao Beti Padhao pays families ₹2 lakh for a girl child”
No money is paid to any individual under BBBP. The Ministry of Women and Child Development states in terms that there is no provision for Direct Benefit Transfer or creation of capital assets under the scheme. BBBP funds go to districts as an annual grant for advocacy, awareness and capacity building — graded by the district's sex ratio at birth. Any website or caller offering a BBBP cash form is a fraud.
“The legal age of marriage for women is now 21”
It is still 18 for women and 21 for men. The Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill, 2021, which proposed raising it to 21, was introduced in the Lok Sabha in December 2021 and referred to committee — it has not been enacted. The governing law remains the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006.
“You must deposit into a Sukanya account for all 21 years”
Deposits run for 15 years only. After that the account keeps earning interest on its own until it matures 21 years from the date of opening. Families who believe they must fund it for 21 years often conclude they cannot afford to start.
“The RTE Act guarantees free education to age 18”
Section 3 covers ages 6 to 14, up to completion of elementary education. Schooling beyond that is supported by scholarships and state schemes, not by the RTE right itself. Knowing the boundary is what lets a parent argue the part that is a right.
“India's child sex ratio in Census 2011 was 914”
914 was the provisional figure and is still widely quoted. Government sources citing final Census 2011 data give 919 (PIB) or 918 (MoSPI) for ages 0–6. Gujarat's was 890.
“Sex ratio at birth is 930 and rising because of BBBP”
930 (2023-24) is HMIS administrative data from the health ministry, not the Sample Registration System. The SRS figure published by MoSPI is 917 (2021-23), up from 904 (2017-19). Both are improvements; they are different instruments and should not be quoted interchangeably.
The money
Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana, in full
The one scheme in this list that puts real money in a girl's name. Governed by the Sukanya Samriddhi Account Scheme, 2019 (G.S.R. 914(E)).
| Rule | What it means |
|---|---|
| Who can open it | A guardian, in the name of a girl child who has not yet turned 10 on the date of opening |
| How many | One account per girl; a maximum of two girls per family. More are permitted only where the additional children are twins or triplets, on production of an affidavit and birth certificates |
| Deposits | Minimum ₹250 to open and ₹250 in any financial year, in multiples of ₹50; maximum ₹1,50,000 a year. Deposits are made for 15 years from opening |
| If you miss a year | The account is in default but can be regularised: ₹50 penalty per defaulted year plus the minimum deposit for those years |
| Interest | 8.2% a year for the quarter 1 July – 30 September 2026, notified by the Ministry of Finance and circulated by the Department of Posts. The rate is reviewed quarterly, so check it before you rely on it. Interest is calculated monthly on the lowest balance between the 5th and month end, credited annually |
| Early withdrawal | Up to 50% of the balance after the girl turns 18 or passes Class 10, whichever is earlier — for education or marriage |
| Maturity | 21 years from the date of opening |
| Tax | Exempt–Exempt–Exempt: deposit, interest and maturity. Note that deduction is claimed under Section 80C, which the new tax regime does not allow |
| Where | Any post office or authorised bank, with the girl's birth certificate and the guardian's identity and address proof |
The law
Sex selection is a criminal offence
The Pre-conception and Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection) Act, 1994 — Act 57 of 1994, in force from 1 January 1996 and substantially amended in 2003, when sex selection before conception was brought within it — makes the practice a crime rather than a matter of persuasion.
Section 3A bans sex selection outright, by anyone, including infertility specialists. Section 5(2) bans telling a pregnant woman or her relatives the sex of the foetus, in any form. Section 6 bans conducting pre-natal diagnostic techniques to determine sex. Section 22 bans even advertising such a facility. Pre-natal diagnostic techniques remain lawful only to detect chromosomal abnormalities, genetic metabolic diseases, haemoglobinopathies, sex-linked genetic diseases and congenital anomalies — and the woman's age being above 35 is one of the listed conditions under which they may be offered at all.
Penalties for a doctor or clinic
First conviction: imprisonment up to 3 years and fine up to ₹10,000. A convicted registered medical practitioner is reported to the State Medical Council and removed from the register for 5 years on first conviction, permanently on a subsequent one.
Penalty for the person seeking it
Anyone who seeks sex selection — including relatives who put a woman up to it — faces imprisonment up to 3 years and fine up to ₹50,000 on first conviction.
School
What a girl is entitled to at school
A neighbourhood school place, ages 6–14
Free and compulsory elementary education. Section 14: no child may be denied admission for lack of age proof. Section 15: no child may be refused because admission is sought late. Section 4: a child who never enrolled must be admitted to an age-appropriate class.
25% of Class I in private schools
Private unaided schools must admit, in Class I, at least 25% of that class's strength from weaker and disadvantaged groups. In Gujarat this runs through the state RTE admission portal — our guide to free school admission under RTE sets out who qualifies, including the priority given to parents whose only child is a daughter. A state helpline is listed on the portal.
No capitation fee, no screening
No school may collect a capitation fee or screen a child or parents for admission. Capitation fee is punishable by a fine of up to ten times the amount collected.
KGBV residential schools
Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya, launched July 2004 and now covering Classes VI to XII, provides residential schooling for girls aged 10–18 from SC, ST, OBC, minority and BPL families. About 7 lakh girls were enrolled as stated in the Lok Sabha in February 2026.
Namo Lakshmi Yojana
A Gujarat scholarship for girl students in Classes 9 to 12, intended to cut the drop-out that follows Class 8. Over 5.31 lakh girls had registered as of June 2024. Amounts should be confirmed on the state education department's own page before you rely on them.
Namo Saraswati is not a girl-child scheme
Namo Saraswati Vigyan Sadhana Yojana supports science-stream students in Classes 11 and 12 and is open to all eligible students, not only girls. It is frequently listed as a girl-child scheme; it is not.
Marriage
Child marriage: the law as it stands today
The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 (Act 6 of 2007) governs. A “child” is a female under 18 or a male under 21. That remains the position as at September 2026; the 2021 Bill to raise the age for women to 21 was never enacted.
Three separate people commit an offence, and this is the part families rarely know: the adult male who marries a child (section 9); whoever performs, conducts, directs or abets the marriage — including the priest and the band (section 10); and any parent, guardian or organisation member who promotes it, permits it, or negligently fails to prevent it (section 11). Each carries rigorous imprisonment up to two years and a fine up to ₹1,00,000. Offences are cognizable and non-bailable under section 15, so the police may act without a warrant.
Under section 13 a Judicial Magistrate may issue an injunction stopping a child marriage before it happens, on an application including one by a Child Marriage Prohibition Officer. Under section 12 the marriage is null and void where the child was taken from lawful guardianship, compelled by force or deceit, or sold or trafficked.
Who to call
1098 — Child Helpline, 24×7, for a child in crisis including an imminent child marriage.
181 — Women Helpline.
Or approach the District Child Marriage Prohibition Officer, or apply to the Magistrate under section 13.
Gujarat
State schemes for a girl born in Gujarat
| Scheme | Who qualifies | What is paid | Deadline / how |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vahali Dikri Yojana WCD Department, Gujarat | Girls born on or after 2 August 2019; combined family income ₹2,00,000 a year or less; mother aged 18 or over at the birth | ₹4,000 on entry to Class 1 · ₹6,000 on entry to Class 9 · ₹1,00,000 at 18. Paid in stages, not a lump sum at birth | Apply within one year of birth, prescribed form with Aadhaar, through the district WCD machinery |
| Kunwarbai nu Mameru Developing Castes stream | SEBC and EBC girls, for marriage assistance | ₹10,000, by cheque in the girl's name | Income limit ₹1,20,000 rural / ₹1,50,000 urban. Social Justice & Empowerment Department |
| Kunvarbainu Mameru (SC) Scheme BCK-55, separate scheme | Scheduled Caste girls; two-daughter limit | ₹10,000 per girl | Income limit ₹68,000 urban / ₹47,000 rural. Director, Scheduled Caste Welfare |
Step by step
What to actually do, in order
Register the birth
The birth certificate is the foundation document for every other entitlement — Sukanya Samriddhi, Vahali Dikri, RTE admission, every scholarship. Nothing else can be claimed without it.
Open a Sukanya Samriddhi account before she turns 10
Any post office or authorised bank. ₹250 opens it. The age limit is absolute — there is no reopening it later.
Apply for Vahali Dikri within one year of birth
This deadline is missed more often than any other on this page, and it cannot be recovered afterwards.
Secure the school place
A child aged 6–14 cannot be refused a neighbourhood school place, refused for want of age proof, screened, or charged a capitation fee. If a school does any of these, it is breaking the law and can be told so.
If she is at risk of dropping out, ask for a KGBV place
Through the district education office. KGBVs take girls aged 10–18 from SC, ST, OBC, minority and BPL families, Classes VI–XII, residential.
Scholarships: do the One Time Registration first
The National Scholarship Portal requires a 14-digit Aadhaar-based One Time Registration before any application. Aadhaar biometrics must be unlocked. A Common Service Centre will do it for a prescribed fee.
If she is a single girl child, apply to CBSE directly
The CBSE Single Girl Child Scholarship is claimed from the Board, not the portal, and needs an original affidavit attested by a magistrate confirming she is the only child.
Sources
Where every figure on this page comes from
Beti Bachao Beti Padhao: Ministry of Women and Child Development scheme pages and PIB releases, including the Ministry's own statement that no Direct Benefit Transfer provision exists. Sex ratio: Sample Registration System figures published by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, NFHS-4 and NFHS-5 tables as tabled in Parliament, and Census of India 2011 final data as cited by PIB and MoSPI. PCPNDT: the text of the Act on India Code. Sukanya Samriddhi: the Sukanya Samriddhi Account Scheme, 2019 (G.S.R. 914(E)) and the Department of Posts circular carrying the Ministry of Finance rate notification for the July–September 2026 quarter. Education: the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 on India Code, Samagra Shiksha KGBV material, and the Education Minister's Lok Sabha reply of February 2026. Child marriage: the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 on India Code, and the Lok Sabha record of the 2021 Amendment Bill. Gujarat schemes: the Women and Child Development and Social Justice and Empowerment departments of the Government of Gujarat.
What we left out. Where we could not open an official source we have said nothing rather than guessed. We could not verify Gujarat's sex ratio at birth from the SRS 2024 report, the NFHS-6 sex-ratio tables, the Namo Lakshmi payment breakdown, or whether Kunwarbai nu Mameru has been revised above ₹10,000 — both official pages still show ₹10,000. Those figures are therefore absent from this page rather than estimated.
This page is general information, not legal advice, and schemes change. Verified September 2026. Found something out of date? Tell us and we will correct it.