Difficulty: Medium
Correct Answer: Sukanya Samriddhi Account
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
The Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao campaign is a flagship initiative of the Government of India aimed at improving the status of the girl child through protection, education, and empowerment. As part of this broader effort, specific schemes were launched to encourage financial security and savings for girls. One of the key schemes created in this context is a small savings scheme that allows parents or guardians to open special accounts in the name of a girl child to build a long term corpus for her education and future. This question asks you to identify that scheme.
Given Data / Assumptions:
Concept / Approach:
The Sukanya Samriddhi Account is a dedicated small savings scheme for the girl child, offering tax benefits and relatively high interest rates. It was promoted as part of the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao initiative to encourage parents to save for their daughters education and well being. Other listed schemes focus on different objectives: cleanliness for children, general financial inclusion, overall awareness on saving the girl child, or state level girl child welfare programmes. By aligning the idea of a savings account specifically for girls with the options, Sukanya Samriddhi Account stands out as the correct answer.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Verification / Alternative check:
You can verify this by recalling how Sukanya Samriddhi Account is marketed. It is often described as a part of the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao initiative and is featured in government advertisements that show parents opening accounts for their daughters. The scheme provides income tax benefits and aims to create a fund for the girl's education and marriage. None of the other options match this description. Financial inclusion under Jan Dhan, cleanliness under Bal Swachhta, and general awareness under Beti Bachao Beti Padhao are all important, but only Sukanya Samriddhi Account directly embodies the savings component for the girl child.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Bal Swachhta Mission targets hygiene and sanitation for children and does not operate as a savings scheme. Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana promotes basic bank accounts and financial literacy for all citizens, not a special product for girls. Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Yojana is the main awareness and advocacy campaign, not a separate savings instrument. Ladli Laxmi Yojana exists in some states as a scheme to support the girl child, but it is not the specific national savings account scheme highlighted under the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao campaign at the Union level.
Common Pitfalls:
A common error is to pick Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Yojana simply because the phrase appears in the question. However, the question asks for a scheme launched as part of this campaign to promote savings, not the campaign itself. Another trap is to select Jan Dhan Yojana because of its association with bank accounts, forgetting that it is not girl specific. To avoid confusion, always match the exact objective mentioned in the question savings for the girl child with the scheme that directly fulfils that objective.
Final Answer:
The scheme launched as part of Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao to promote savings for the girl child is the Sukanya Samriddhi Account scheme.
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