In which year was the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (Save the Daughter, Educate the Daughter) scheme launched by the Government of India?

Introduction / Context:
Beti Bachao Beti Padhao is a flagship social campaign of the Government of India aimed at improving the child sex ratio and promoting education for girls. It combines awareness, enforcement of laws against gender biased sex selection, and support for girls education. Competitive exams often ask about the year of launch of major schemes, and Beti Bachao Beti Padhao is one of the most important initiatives in the area of gender equality.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The scheme mentioned is Beti Bachao Beti Padhao.
• The options provide four different years: 2015, 2010, 2012, and 2018.
• We assume familiarity with recent government campaigns related to girls and women.

Concept / Approach:
Beti Bachao Beti Padhao was officially launched in the middle of the decade to address concerns about declining child sex ratios and the need to change social attitudes toward the girl child. The correct year for the launch of this scheme is 2015. The approach is to recall that this campaign is associated with mid 2010s policy initiatives rather than earlier or later dates.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that Beti Bachao Beti Padhao is a recent scheme but not as recent as 2018. Step 2: Remember that many awareness campaigns, media coverage, and official statements about this scheme started around 2015. Step 3: Compare the options and note that 2010 and 2012 are too early, predating the scheme in its current form. Step 4: Recognise that 2015 is the correct year, often cited in government documents and exam guides. Step 5: Choose 2015 as the correct answer.

Verification / Alternative check:
A quick way to verify is to connect Beti Bachao Beti Padhao with other mid decade initiatives under the same government term. Many official portals, press releases, and general knowledge references clearly state that the scheme was launched in 2015, usually mentioning its focus districts and strategies for improving the child sex ratio and promoting girls education.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option B, 2010, and option C, 2012, are too early and correspond to a different period of social policy, when other schemes were being emphasised. Option D, 2018, is too late and does not match the widely documented launch year of Beti Bachao Beti Padhao. These years may relate to other programmes or later expansions of policies, but not to the original launch of this scheme.

Common Pitfalls:
Students sometimes confuse the years of launch of multiple social schemes such as Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Jan Dhan Yojana, and Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, all of which were started in a similar broad time frame. A helpful strategy is to create a small timeline of major schemes with their launch years. For this question, remembering that Beti Bachao Beti Padhao belongs to 2015 avoids confusion with earlier or later dates.

Final Answer:
The Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme was launched in the year 2015 by the Government of India.