The Andhra Pradesh Bangaru Talli Girl Child Promotion and Empowerment Act, 2013
**ANDHRA PRADESH BANGARU TALLI GIRL CHILD PROMOTION AND**

**EMPOWERMENT ACT, 2013**


**(ACT NO. 5 OF 2013)**


**ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS**


**SECTIONS**


1. Short title, extent, commencement and application

2. Definitions

3. Services provided to the girl children and their mothers

4. Incentives for achieving milestones

5. Mode of payment

6. State Council

7. Nodal Authority

8. Implementing Authorities

9. Responsibilities of functionaries

10. Penalties

11. Tribal areas

12. Social audit

13. Power to remove difficulties

14. Power to issue directions

15. Power to make rules


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**ANDHRA PRADESH BANGARU TALLI GIRL CHILD PROMOTION AND**

**EMPOWERMENT ACT, 2013**


**(ACT NO. 5 OF 2013)**


(29[th] June, 2013)


**AN ACT TO PROVIDE FOR PROMOTING THE SOCIO ECONOMIC**


**DEVELOPMENT OF THE GIRL CHILD AND FOR THE MATTERS**
**CONNECTED THEREWITH OR INCIDENTAL THERETO.**

Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Andhra Pradesh in the

Sixty fourth year of the Republic of India, as follows:

**1. Short title, extent, commencement and application - (1) This Act may be**
called the Andhra Pradesh Bangaru Talli Girl Child Promotion and
Empowerment Act, 2013.


(2) It extends to the whole of the State of Andhra Pradesh.


(3) It shall be deemed to have come into force with effect from the 1st

May, 2013.

(4) It shall apply to all girl children born on or after 1st May, 2013 limited

to the first two children of the same mother.


**2. Definitions - In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,-**


(1) ‘Anganwadi worker’ means the person appointed for running an

Anganwadi centre;


(2) ‘Beneficiary’ means the girl child or her mother till the girl child


attains the age of 7 years; or her father in case mother is not alive; or the
guardian if both parents are not alive; or head of the institution giving shelter
in case of orphans and abandoned children; or as notified from time to time;
and shall be identified through the Unique ID issued by the Unique
Identification Authority of India;


(3) ‘Central Registry’ means the central database of the girl child


maintained by the State Implementing Authority (Rural) which allows online
updation by the implementing authorities;

(4) 'Economically backward household' means any household having

annual income below the limits notified by the State Government;

(5) 'Girl child' means a girl child born in an economically backward

household on or after 1st May, 2013;


(6) 'Government' means the State Government of Andhra Pradesh;


(7) 'Head master' means the head of any Primary or Secondary or High

School either Government or Private in which the girl child is admitted;


(8) 'Household' means a family in which the girl child is born;


(9) 'Implementing Authority' means an Officer or an institution notified to

implement the provisions of the Act;

(10) 'Institutional delivery' means delivery of the child in any health care

institution;


(11) 'Milestones' means the age-specific and essential actions or activities


required for healthy mental and physical growth of the Girl Child, as specified
from time to time;

(12) 'Nodal Authority' means the Department of Women, Children,

Disabled and Senior Citizens, in the Government;

(13) 'Notification' means, notification published in the Andhra Pradesh

Gazette and word 'notified' shall be construed accordingly;


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(14) 'Prescribed' means prescribed by the Government by rules under

this Act;

(15) 'Principal' means the head of any college either Government or

Private in which the girl child is admitted;

(16) 'Registrar' means the person designated as such as per the Andhra

Pradesh Registration of Births and Deaths Rules, 1999;


(17) 'Slum Level Federation' means the Federation of Women Self-Help


Groups at the slum level in urban areas facilitated/promoted by the Mission
for Elimination of Poverty in Municipal Areas (MEPMA);


(18) 'Village Organisation of SHGs' means the Federation of Women Self

Help Groups at the village level formed by the Society for Elimination of Rural
Poverty (SERP).

**3. Services provided to the girl children and their mothers - (1) Save as**
otherwise provided, the Government shall strive to ensure that each girl child
or her mother as the case may be, is provided access to the following services:

(a) Public health facilities to the expectant mothers for safe
institutional deliveries;

(b) Pre and post-natal health and nutrition services including a full
complement of immunisation from birth to 6 years of age;

(c) Three years pre-school education in the Anganwadi centres run by
Government;

(d) Five years of primary education in the Government schools,
followed by three years upper primary education, two years of high
school education in any educational institution in the manner
prescribed;

(e) Two years of education after the 10th standard and three/four
years of college education up to graduation in the manner prescribed;

(f) Skill training as required for finding suitable employment
opportunities.

**4. Incentives for achieving milestones - (1) Subject to such terms and**
conditions of eligibility as may be prescribed, each girl child shall be provided
such financial and other incentives on achieving the milestones as may be
prescribed from time to time.


(2) Government shall ensure that adequate resources for the Bangaru


Talli programme are included in the budget proposals submitted to the
Legislature every year.

**5. Mode of payment - Unless otherwise prescribed, all incentives under this**
Act shall be credited electronically into a bank or postal account of the
beneficiary within the time stipulated for such payment; and preferably
disbursed using biometric authentication.

**6. State Council - (1) There shall be constituted a State Council to over-see**
the implementation of the Act, with the Chief Minister as its Chairman and
such other Members as may be required, in the manner prescribed.

(2) The State Council shall meet at such time and place as may be

decided by the Council.

**7. Nodal Authority - (1) The Department of Women, Children, Disabled and**
Senior Citizens shall be the Nodal Authority for planning, funding, monitoring
and evaluation of the scheme in coordination with the Departments of Health,
Medical and Family Welfare, Primary Education, Secondary Education, Higher
Education, Rural Development and all other Welfare departments.

(2) For the purpose of administration of the Act, the State Implementing

Authority (Rural) shall in consultation with the Nodal Authority, put in a


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Central Registry of the Beneficiaries which shall be updated by all the
Implementing Authorities after authentication as prescribed.

**8. Implementing Authorities - Unless otherwise prescribed the following shall**
be the implementing Authorities for the purposes under this Act.


(1) The State Implementing Authorities are agencies designated by


Government for implementing the provisions of the Act in the manner
prescribed.

(2) The Collector and District Magistrate shall be the District

Implementing Authority.

(3) The Sub-Divisional Magistrate shall be the Sub-divisional

Implementing Authority for that revenue sub-division.


(4) The Tahsildar of a Mandal in rural areas and Municipal


Commissioner in urban areas shall be the Mandal/Municipal Implementing
Authority.

(5) The Village Organisation of Self Help Groups in rural areas shall be

the Village Implementing Authority.

(6) Slum Level Federation of Self Help Groups in urban areas shall be the

Ward Implementation Authority in urban areas.

**9. Responsibilities of functionaries - (I) It shall be the responsibility of the**
following functionaries of Government to discharge the functions required for
implementation of the Act;


(a) Auxiliary Nursing Midwife shall intimate the list of pregnant mothers


to the Primary Health Centre as well as to Anganwadi centre and Village/Ward
Implementation Authority for the purpose of pre and post natal care;


(b) Unless otherwise prescribed, the Anganwadi worker at the place of


birth, shall report to the Registrar of Births and Deaths of the concerned area
and the Village/ Ward Implementing Authority concerned regarding birth of the
girl child within twenty one days from the date of such birth; and the
Village/Ward Implementing Authority shall enter the same in the central
registry electronically;


(c) The Registrar of Births and Deaths at the village level/urban local


body level shall register the birth and issue certificate of registration to the
mother/guardian and to the Village/Ward Implementation Authority within 7
days from the date of intimation of such birth;


(d) The Anganwadi Worker shall be responsible for reporting the


admission of the girl child in the Anganwadi centre and her progress once a
year to the Village/Ward Implementing Authority in the last week of July, and
the Village/Ward implementing Authority shall update the same electronically
in the central registry;


(e) The Head Master shall be responsible for reporting the admission and


progress of the girl child to the Village/Ward Implementing Authority once a
year during the last week of July; and the Village/ Ward Implementing
Authority shall update the same electronically in the central registry;


(f) The Principal shall be responsible for reporting the admission and


progress of the girl child once a year during the last week of July by
electronically updating the central registry.


(2) The State Implementing Authorities shall be responsible for electronic


transfer of incentives under the Act within stipulated time as may be
prescribed.


(3) The District Implementing Authority shall review the implementation


of the provisions of this Act and resolve difficulties if any for its smooth
implementation.


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(4) The State Implementing Authorities shall be responsible for

overseeing the timely disbursal of incentives to the beneficiary.

**10. Penalties - Whoever contravenes the provisions of this Act and the rules**
made thereunder or fails to comply with the orders, instructions, directions
etc., issued by the Government from time to time in this regard shall be liable
for penalty as may be prescribed.

**11. Tribal areas - The Government may from time to time, notify suitable**
additional arrangements and provide such other incentives as may be
considered necessary for proper implementation of the provisions of this Act in
tribal areas of the State.

**12. Social audit - (1) The expenditure incurred under this Act shall be**
subjected to Social Audit to be conducted by the Society for Social Audit,
Accountability and Transparency (SSAAT) in accordance with the rules framed
for the conduct of social audit.

(2) All observations brought out in social audit shall be acted upon by the

departments concerned within 30 days from the conduct of the social audit.

**13. Power to remove difficulties - If any difficulty arises in giving effect to the**
provisions of this Act, the Government may, by order, do anything not
inconsistent with such provisions and which appear to them to be necessary or
expedient for the purpose of removing the difficulty:

Provided that no such order shall be made after the expiry of a period of

two years from the commencement of this Act.

**14. Power to issue directions - The Government may from time to time, issue**
such orders, instructions, directions etc., not inconsistent with the provisions
of this Act, and the rules made thereunder, as may appear to them to be
necessary for proper administration of the provisions of the Act which shall be
complied with by such officers and other persons employed or connected with
the implementation of the Act.

**15. Power to make rules - (1) The Government may, by notification, make**
rules for carrying out all or any of the purposes of this Act.


(2) Every rule made under this Act shall, immediately after it is made, be


laid before the Legislature of the State, if it is in session and if it is not in
session, in the session immediately following for a total period of fourteen days
which may be comprised in one session or in two successive sessions and if,
before the expiration of the session in which it is so laid or the session
immediately following the Legislature agrees in making any modification in the
rule or in the annulment of the rule, the rule, shall, from the date on which the
modification or annulment is notified, have effect only in such modified form or
shall stand annulled as the case may be so, however, that any such
modification or annulment shall be without prejudice to the validity of anything
previously done under that rule.

A. SANTHOSH REDDY,

Secretary to Government,


Legislative Affairs & Justice,

Law Department


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