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National Girl Child Day 2025 highlights the importance of girl child education, health, and rights. Celebrate National Girl Child Day 2025 by promoting equal opportunities for every girl child.
PWOnlyIAS
January 24, 2025
National Girl Child Day 2025: National Girl Child Day 2025 is an important occasion in India’s calendar to celebrate and promote the rights of the girl child. National Girl Child Day is observed every year on January 24. This day reminds us of the challenges girls face in Indian society and the collective efforts required to create an equitable environment for them. The Government of India and its Ministry of Women and Child Development initiated this observance in 2008, primarily focusing on addressing gender-based disparities and promoting awareness about empowering girls.
| National Girl Child Day 2025 | |
| Aspect | Details |
| Date | January 24, 2025 |
| Theme | Empowering Girls through Education, Health, and Equality |
| Established By | Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India |
| First Observed | 2008 |
| Key Objectives |
|
| Focus Areas | Education, health, nutrition, safety, and gender equality |
| Major Schemes Highlighted | Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, NEP 2020, Samagra Shiksha, KIRAN Scheme, Khelo India |
| Sex Ratio (Highest) | Kerala: 1,084 females per 1,000 males |
| Sex Ratio (Lowest) | Haryana: 879 females per 1,000 males |
| Activities in 2025 | Awareness campaigns, community events, school competitions, honouring achievers |
| Challenges Highlighted | Early marriage, malnutrition, healthcare access, educational barriers |
Every year, National Girl Child Day is celebrated on January 24. The Ministry of Women and Child Development strategically chose this date to emphasize the importance of creating a world where girls can live with dignity, equality, and access to opportunities. Events and campaigns across India highlight crucial issues such as child sex ratios, female education, healthcare, and protection against gender-based violence.
National Girl Child Day is also honoured with activities across schools, villages, and communities to engage people in discussions on critical issues like child sex ratios, education, and health for girls.
The celebration of National Girl Child Day focuses on addressing critical issues such as female infanticide, child marriage, gender discrimination, and limited access to education for girls. National Girl Child Day is celebrated to fulfil the following objectives:
Through these efforts, India strives to build a more inclusive society where girls are given equal opportunities to succeed.
The National Girl Child Day 2025 Theme has not been officially announced yet. However, the focus is likely to center on promoting gender equality, enhancing access to education, and leveraging technology for girls’ development.
Once the official theme is revealed by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, it will guide nationwide campaigns and initiatives that will aim to address the challenges faced by the girl child.
Despite such significant achievements and progress, the status of girls in India remains a matter of concern. According to Census 2011, the child sex ratio stood at 914 girls per 1,000 boys in the age group of 0-6 years—the lowest ever recorded. This disparity originates from societal preferences for boy children, leading to practices like female foeticide and infanticide.
Additionally, girls face challenges such as:
The sex ratio in India is an essential indicator of gender equality and reflects the status of the girl child in society. By analyzing the data on male and female populations, we gain insights into fertility, mortality, marriage, employment, and migration trends.
The sex ratio across states and districts highlights varied regional disparities:
According to the Women and Men in India 2023 report by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI):
| Haryana recorded its lowest sex ratio in eight years, with 910 girls born per 1,000 boys in 2024, down from 916 in 2023. According to provisional data, 516,402 children were born in the state, comprising 270,354 boys (52.35%) and 246,048 girls (47.64%), resulting in a shortfall of 24,306 girls. Despite improvements under the “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao” initiative since 2015, 13 districts showed a declining trend in 2024. Gurgaon and Faridabad reported sex ratios of 899, while Nuh, with a ratio of 928, ranked among the better-performing districts. |
The Government of India has launched several schemes to address the challenges faced by girls and improve their overall status. Some of the key schemes include:
Launched in 2015, this flagship scheme focuses on addressing declining child sex ratios and promoting the survival, protection, and education of girls.
This policy introduced a Gender Inclusion Fund to:
Under this scheme, initiatives such as free textbooks, uniforms, gender-segregated toilets, and self-defence training were incorporated with the aim of increasing girls’ enrollment and retention in schools.
KGBVs provide quality education to girls from disadvantaged backgrounds in educationally backward regions.
This program has significantly increased female participation in sports, with a 200% rise in representation since 2018.
The KIRAN Scheme by the Department of Science and Technology supports women scientists in STEM fields, promoting gender parity in research and development.
This initiative aims to improve the nutritional status of adolescent girls, reducing stunting and anaemia.
The celebrations for National Girl Child Day 2025 include:
Despite numerous initiatives, girls in India continue to face several challenges, including:
Addressing these challenges on National Girl Child Day 2025 requires a collective effort involving the government, civil society, and individuals. Key solutions include:
National Girl Child Day 2025 functions as a powerful reminder of the work needed to secure a brighter future for the girl child in India. By celebrating National Girl Child Day 2025 and its objectives, we move closer to creating a society where every girl has the opportunity to succeed. By addressing systemic challenges and celebrating the achievements of girls, we can ensure a brighter future for India.
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