- CM Yogi Adityanath announces next phase of Mission Shakti to begin during Navratri
- Lakshmibai Scooty Scheme to be launched soon; meritorious daughters in the final year of graduation and post-graduation will benefit in the first phase
Lucknow: CM Yogi Adityanath said, “The five main reasons behind the transformation in Uttar Pradesh after 2017 are based on a clear vision. The government worked keeping in mind PM Modi’s 5T vision: Tradition, Technology, Transparency, Trust, and Transformation. When Tradition, Technology, Transparency, and Trust come together, Transformation takes place. We respected India’s traditions and heritage, and this naturally paved the way for development. When we connect this with technology, it becomes easier. Transparency creates a sense of trust among the people, and that trust ultimately becomes the reason for transformation. Uttar Pradesh has emerged as a model of this 5T framework”.
CM Yogi Adityanath was addressing the state-level programme organized at Indira Gandhi Pratishthan on International Women’s Day on Sunday. On this occasion, he honoured beneficiaries of various schemes and also inaugurated the Pink Rozgar Mahakumbh 2026 employment fair.
The Chief Minister also visited the exhibition and watched a short film presented by the Labour Department. While mentioning various schemes, he extended his greetings to all the beneficiaries and the women who were honoured at the programme.
Referring to the Prime Minister’s statement, CM Yogi said, “No society can become self-reliant by ignoring half of its population. When Narendra Modi became Prime Minister in 2014, the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao campaign was launched. After that, several programmes for women empowerment were implemented, ranging from the Matru Vandana Yojana to many other initiatives, enabling daughters across the country to move towards self-reliance. In the coming years, daughters and sisters will also be elected to 33% of the seats in the Legislative Assemblies and Parliament”.
CM Yogi Adityanath referred to the theme of Mission Shakti, which focuses on safety, dignity, and self-reliance. He added, security is the first condition and it should be available to every person. Security builds confidence, confidence creates a sense of self-respect, and this feeling of self-respect leads a person toward the goal of self-reliance. Self-reliance will become the foundation of the vision of a ‘Viksit Bharat’.
CM added, “It is the responsibility of every resident of the state to ensure that the steps taken by government departments for the safety of daughters, the dignity of women, and self-reliance reach women effectively. This will become the foundation of a Viksit Bharat. Viksit Bharat means happiness on every face and employment for every hand. Every individual, with confidence, will join the ‘Mera Bharat Mahan’ campaign and contribute to establishing India as a powerful nation. This will happen only when the population participates strongly”.
Chief Minister announced that the next phase of Mission Shakti will begin during Navratri. By 2047, when the country celebrates the centenary of independence, we should have a Viksit Bharat where every citizen can live a prosperous life.
While explaining the Mukhyamantri Kanya Sumangala Yojana in detail, CM Yogi Adityanath informed, a daughter will not remain dependent on anyone. From her birth to graduation, the government provides a financial package of ₹25,000 in different stages for her education. At present, around 27 lakh daughters in Uttar Pradesh are benefiting from this scheme. When we implemented the Mukhyamantri Samuhik Vivah Yojana, the Samajwadi Party strongly opposed it and said that providing ₹35,000 was an insult to the poor.
He also added, “However, parents no longer need to worry about the expenses for the marriage of their daughters. The government is now spending ₹1 lakh to conduct each marriage. So far, the government has contributed to the marriage of more than 4 lakh daughters. The Lakshmibai Scooty Scheme for daughters will be launched very soon. In its first phase, meritorious daughters in the final year of graduation and post-graduation will benefit. Gradually, others will also be included in the second phase”.
The Chief Minister referred to Anganwadi workers and said, before 2017 they used to sit in Lucknow with protests and demonstrations. Earlier there was laxity at the departmental level, but now the department is functioning at a faster pace. With the help of smartphones, they will upload all their work digitally. Their performance will be evaluated, and they will receive a respectable honorarium accordingly. The government is also planning to increase their honorarium. They have now been provided with cashless health and medical facilities of up to ₹5 lakh. Similar facilities will also be extended to ASHA workers and cooks.
CM Yogi cited the example of a destitute woman and said that society may have abandoned her, but when the government stands with her, she becomes a model of self-reliance. He appreciated the confidence of daughters participating in the Pink Rozgar Mahakumbh. He emphasized the importance of hard work and urged parents to educate their daughters well. Daughters today possess strong confidence. If such confidence develops among everyone, no power in the world can stop India from becoming a developed nation.
CM Yogi also added, “Through initiatives such as Lakhpati Didi, Drone Didi, and women self-help groups, women are advancing toward self-reliance in every sector. Girls are also being encouraged to join Sainik Schools. Inspired by these developments, the Mission Shakti programme was further strengthened. Earlier, daughters and traders were not safe. Curfews, riots, migration, disorder, and lawlessness had become the identity of Uttar Pradesh. In many districts, parents were afraid to send their daughters to school. If they wanted to educate them, they had to send them outside Uttar Pradesh to hostels or to relatives”.
Chief Minister referred to the example of an e-rickshaw driver from Varanasi who has become self-reliant and now earns ₹15,000 to ₹20,000 every month. Earlier people used to laugh at her, but today she is making others smile through her achievements. He said that two things give him a sense of pride. First, every daughter in Uttar Pradesh feels safe today. Girls are going to school without fear or hesitation because their security is the government’s responsibility. To deal with troublemakers, 20% of positions in the Uttar Pradesh Police have been reserved for daughters. From 1947 to 2017, there were only about 10,000 women personnel in the Uttar Pradesh Police.
Since 2017, their number has increased to more than 44,000. This clearly shows that we are moving in the right direction. The Chief Minister firmly stated that those who try to compromise the safety of daughters will have no place on this land.
CM Yogi also informed, when he became Chief Minister in 2017, he observed that 60% of girls studying in Basic Education Council schools went to school barefoot. He narrated an emotional conversation with a girl in Chitrakoot that highlighted the discrimination between sons and daughters.
He said that in the same household, the son went to a public school while daughters attended a primary school. The son had shoes, slippers, and clothes, but the daughter had none. When he asked the reason, the girl replied that he is a son. That very evening he held a departmental meeting and announced that every child studying in Basic Education Council schools would receive uniforms, bags, books, shoes, and socks from the state government.
He further informed, “Today, about 98 to 99 percent of daughters come to school wearing shoes, socks, or slippers and sweaters during winter. The daughter of the village is everyone’s daughter, this is our belief. She deserves respect and the right to live and move forward. When we see efforts being made for the half of the population that once felt neglected, we feel that us being in power has been meaningful”.
CM Yogi said, government schemes are becoming the driving force behind self-reliance. The Mission Shakti programme has been strengthened by connecting it with women’s safety, dignity, and self-reliance. Today’s ceremony symbolizes that effort. When women are safe, society is safe. When women are respected, society is respected. When women move toward self-reliance, the entire society moves in that direction. When daughters receive safety and respect, every citizen of Uttar Pradesh gains respect in the world.
He said, before 2017, the female workforce participation was only 13%. Today, women are working in different sectors at a rate of 36% to 37%. Earlier, daughters were afraid of going to school during the day, but today due to improved security they are working even in night shifts.
Chief Minister added, the theme of the Uttar Pradesh budget focused on youth, women, farmers, and the poor. Several schemes have been introduced in this budget for all of them. He also explained the Mukhyamantri Yuva Udyami Vikas Abhiyan in detail. He mentioned that on the lines of SHE-Mart in the Union Budget, a Women Entrepreneur Marketing Scheme has been introduced in Uttar Pradesh. To ensure that products made by women self-help groups reach the market easily, centres will be established at village and Nyaya Panchayat levels. Several programmes are being introduced, including guarantee-free and interest-free loans and scooties for meritorious daughters. These initiatives will play an important role in moving daughters toward self-reliance.
CM Yogi further informed, during the last 11 years many initiatives have been taken for women’s self-reliance. Women were the most affected earlier due to the lack of housing, toilets, and cooking gas. Now beneficiaries of the Ujjwala Yojana receive cooking gas cylinders, and free cylinders are provided during Holi and Diwali. Ration benefits have been provided to 15 crore people and Ayushman Bharat health benefits to 5.60 crore people. This time, Shiksha Mitras, instructors, Anganwadi workers, cooks, Home Guards, and ASHA workers have also been included.
CM also added, more than 10 lakh teachers from basic, secondary, and higher education institutions have also been added. Every senior citizen above the age of 70 has been given this facility. More than 1.06 crore families are receiving an annual pension of ₹12,000. This amount will also be increased soon. Under the PM and CM housing schemes, more than 62 lakh women in Uttar Pradesh have received houses.
CM Yogi referred to several districts where women are actively working under the ODOP (One District One Product) scheme implemented under MSME. In Lucknow, many women are associated with Chikankari work and have abundant employment opportunities. After ODOP, the government is moving towards ODOC (One District One Cuisine).
He also mentioned the remarkable work of a woman from Jaunpur and said, “ODOC will also create new opportunities for women. Nearly 20,000 start-ups are currently operating in Uttar Pradesh, and more than half of them are led by women”.
Chief Minister said, “A new scheme has been introduced in the budget this time. The Digital Entrepreneur Scheme will be implemented in all 8,000 Nyaya Panchayats. Through this initiative, around 4,000 women in each Nyaya Panchayat will be connected with various programmes and will also link other women to these initiatives”.
He also referred to the good work of BC Sakhis and Balini Milk Producers in Jhansi. He said that thousands of sisters in Gorakhpur, Varanasi, Agra, and Bareilly are earning good dividends. In this year’s budget, similar groups are also being established in Lucknow and Prayagraj.
CM Yogi also said, “The previous government, which gave patronage to rioters, was moving toward disbanding the PAC. We reorganized all 34 companies and then formed three women battalions. Work is also underway to establish three more women battalions. When the government’s intention is clear, results are visible.
Referring to the UPSC results, the Chief Minister informed, several daughters from Uttar Pradesh have secured prestigious positions. Daughters such as Mansi, Aditi, and Tanisha have achieved success. Among the list 3 women are at the top ten , and daughters dominate the overall list as well. As the female workforce continues to grow in the state, daughters coming from villages are finding employment in cities. Therefore, the government has decided to provide working women hostels in different districts.
He said, each hostel will have a capacity of 500 women. These hostels are under construction in Varanasi, Meerut, Prayagraj, Gorakhpur, Kanpur, Jhansi, and Agra. In this year’s budget, funds have also been allocated for hostels in Ayodhya, Saharanpur, Moradabad, Bareilly, Aligarh, and Mirzapur.
The programme was attended by Cabinet Ministers Baby Rani Maurya and Anil Rajbhar, Minister of State Pratibha Shukla and Manohar Lal “Mannu Kori”, Chairperson of the Uttar Pradesh Women Welfare Corporation Kamalawati Singh, Chairperson of the State Women Commission Babita Singh Chauhan, Vice Chairperson Aparna Yadav, Charu Chaudhary, and others.
