Uttar Pradesh’s Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath made a strong call for a halt to atrocities against women as a vital step to society’s empowerment. The statement came during a mass wedding event organised under the Mukhyamantri Samuhik Vivah Yojana, in which more than 1,500 couples exchanged vows.
During his address, Adityanath highlighted the continuous work of the ‘double-engine’ government – a phrase used by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders to denote their dual power at the state and central levels – in upholding women’s dignity and empowerment. He further underscored that comprehensive societal progress is impossible without empowering women.
The CM lauded the mass marriage scheme as a practical means of countering the societal scourge of dowry. “Dowry is a social evil. Society should be part of this campaign for dowry-free marriages,” Adityanath urged. Since 2017, more than 200,000 marriages have been officiated under this scheme, according to the CM.
Adityanath further revealed that expenditure on each wedding has risen from Rs 31,000 to Rs 51,000 after BJP’s accession to power. He attributed this increase to the collective effort of the ‘double-engine’ government.
The CM reaffirmed the government’s commitment to safeguarding women’s dignity and empowerment, pointing to initiatives such as the Mukhyamantri Kanya Sumangala Yojana, which promotes girls’ education from birth to graduation, and the ‘Mission Shakti’, which aims to ensure women’s safety. He sought to reassure parents about their daughters’ post-graduation marriages, given the support from the Mukhyamantri Samajik Vivah Yojana.
Invoking the slogan ‘gaon ki beti, sabki beti’, Adityanath drew attention to numerous state and central government initiatives aimed at uplifting women, including the ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ campaign.
Additionally, the CM emphasised a 20% reservation for women in the Uttar Pradesh Police, celebrating the increase in female personnel from 10,000 (1947-2017) to the current 40,000. Adityanath concluded his address by sharing that plans are in motion to establish a women’s battalion of the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) in Gorakhpur.