Panipat (Haryana) [India], January 14 (ANI): Union Minister Meenakshi Lekhi on Friday said the sex ratio in the country has seen a marked improvement due to concerted efforts in this direction by the Centre under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Attending a 'Betiyon Ki Lohri' event here on Saturday, Lekhi said PM Modi conceived the 'Beti Bachao, Padhao' campaign in a bid to address and reverse the low sex ratio in the country.

Also Read | ‘Indira Gandhi and Sanjay Gandhi Died Due to Cow Slaughter Curse,’ Says BJP MP Anantkumar Hegde.

"One of the main reasons for celebrating Lohri for our daughters is that on January 22, 2015, PM Modi declared 'Beti Bachao, Padhao' from here (Panipat). The campaign was the need of the hour as the sex ratio was abysmally low in the country at the time," Lekhi told ANI.

"There were 916 girls against 1000 boys at the time. This needed to change and a general awareness campaign was the need of the hour. The ratio is now 933 girls against 1000 boys. In 2022-23, 1020 daughters were born against 1000 boys, which put us on par with developed countries," she added.

Also Read | ‘Maldives May Be Small But It Doesn't Give Other Countries License To Bully Us,’ Says President Mohamed Muizzu Amid Diplomatic Row With India.

Last year, in April, in the 100th episode of his monthly radio broadcast 'Mann Ki Baat', PM Modi said the gender ratio has improved in Haryana as a result of many campaigns such as 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' and 'Selfie With Daughter'.

"I started the campaign 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' from Haryana itself. The 'Selfie with Daughter' campaign influenced me a lot and I mentioned it in my episode. Soon, the 'Selfie with Daughter' campaign turned into a global campaign. The motive of this campaign was to make people understand the importance of a daughter in one's life," the PM said.

Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) was launched by PM Modi in January 2015 at Panipat in Haryana.

It seeks to address the declining Child Sex Ratio (CSR) and related issues of women's empowerment over a life-cycle continuum. (ANI)

(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)