In our religious scriptures, women have been described as Shakti. This power does not emerge merely by worshipping women but by giving them opportunities, rights and respect, and by connecting their energy to nation-building. The Yogi government in Uttar Pradesh is advancing women’s power, creativity, and role as the axis of society in the spirit of ‘Yatra Naryastu Pujyante Ramante Tatra Devata’, an expression of the fundamental consciousness of our Sanatan civilisation. However, the true respect for women remains incomplete until their labour is respected. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has taken this chain of respect forward by increasing the honorarium of Anganwadi workers and helpers. This decision by the government has broad social significance. An Anganwadi worker cannot be seen merely as a unit of the state's government system. They stand on the front line of nutrition, health and early care for pregnant women, lactating mothers and children. Respect for their labour is, in fact, respect for the better future of the coming generation.
It is an irony that until a decade ago, governments in UP continued to talk about respecting women, but in practice they continued to push them to the margins. Whether it was the reward for their labour or the right to social security, they were always overlooked. Millions of women, such as Anganwadi workers, helpers, and cooks, continued to nurture the foundation of society, but in return they did not receive what they were genuinely entitled to. Against this backdrop, the Yogi government's decisions, with women’s respect at the centre, become important. Whether it is increasing the honourarium of Anganwadi workers, ensuring proper remuneration for cooks' labour, providing free bus travel to women aged 60 years or above, announcing scooters for undergraduate girl students, or making rural women self-reliant through various schemes, these decisions carry a broader message. This message reflects the Yogi government's view that women are not beneficiaries of assistance but a force for development. In the government’s policies, respect for Matri Shakti is now clearly visible beyond announcements, in areas such as honorarium, social security, health, education, employment, mobility, and law and order.
The increase in the honourarium of Anganwadi workers and helpers and the provision of cashless treatment is not merely a decision but a message of systemic change that reflects human sensitivity along with respect for women’s dignity and labour. In 2017, Anganwadi workers received a mere Rs 3,000 as honorarium. The Yogi government linked it with a performance-based system and increased it to Rs 8,000. It has now been increased to Rs 12,000. The honorarium for helpers was also increased from Rs 1,500 to Rs 4,000 earlier and is now Rs 6,000. Along with this, cashless treatment will free them from health-related concerns. They deserve all this because their spirit of service is unparalleled. Recall the pandemic during the COVID period. These Anganwadi workers were the ones who, while putting their lives at risk, carried out door-to-door screening, the Dastak Abhiyan, and served infected people.
CM Yogi said that all Anganwadi workers and helpers, along with their families, will receive cashless healthcare facilities of up to Rs 5 lakh every year. They can avail this benefit at impanelled hospitals, as well as government hospitals and medical colleges. As a gesture of respect, the Chief Minister has now arranged two to three sarees for them. An Anganwadi worker is not merely a government employee; she is the first link in society, responsible for caring for pregnant mothers and newborn children. When this link is strengthened, the entire social fabric becomes stronger.
In this context, another decision by the Yogi government deserves discussion. The four major gifts that the Chief Minister gave to 3.54 lakh rasoiya sisters of the state before Raksha Bandhan are noteworthy from both emotional and practical perspectives. These include increasing the honorarium of rasoiya mothers and sisters from Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,000; providing Rs 2 lakh in assistance through the State Bank in the event of an accident; providing free cashless medical treatment of up to Rs 5 lakh every year; and doubling the clothing allowance from Rs 500 to Rs 1,000. These decisions strengthen women’s overall social security.
The journey of women’s empowerment does not stop here. The launch of the Lokmata Ahilyabai Matri Shakti Yatra Yojana symbolises that the government gives equal importance to the mobility and independence of elderly women as it does to the dreams of the younger generation. Providing free bus travel to women aged 60 years or above frees them from economic dependence and makes them active participants in social life. On the other hand, the plan to provide scooters in October-November to 50,000 daughters studying in undergraduate courses is like giving wings to the dreams of young girl students. This initiative, which ensures both access to education and mobility, will take daughters' confidence to new heights.
From the perspective of social security, the regular monthly pension received by 40.34 lakh destitute women and the decision to increase this pension from Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,500 per month serve as a source of support for single, widowed, or abandoned women. Under the Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 scheme, providing monthly rations to more than 22 lakh pregnant and lactating women and becoming the first state in the country to implement recipe-based supplementary nutrition reflect Uttar Pradesh’s foresight in prioritising motherhood and child health. In the dimension of economic empowerment, more than 18.55 lakh women becoming Lakhpati Didis under the Lakhpati Didi scheme, 40,000 active BC Sakhis setting a record of financial transactions worth more than Rs 44,453 crore, and 15,409 Vidyut Sakhis collecting electricity bills worth Rs 3,207 crore represent the new face of Uttar Pradesh’s economy.
The development of any society or nation remains incomplete until half of its population moves forward with equality and respect. The Yogi government has made women the backbone of the village economy, the conscience of the school, the service of the hospital, and the security system. The direction and intent are clear. These decisions of the state government clearly show that women’s welfare is no longer merely an empty slogan but the central point of policy. Here, the gap between policy and intent appears to be narrowing.
About the Author: Amita Mishra is a Senior Journalist. With extensive experience in the media industry, her work focuses on investigative reporting, socio-political issues, and current affairs.
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