Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday said atrocities against women must be stopped to empower society.
Adityanath attended a mass marriage ceremony organised under the Mukhyamantri Samuhik Vivah Yojana here. More than 1,500 couples tied the knot during the event.
The chief minister said the double-engine government of the BJP at the Centre and state is working in "mission mode" to uphold the dignity of women and empower them.
BJP leaders use the term "double engine" to refer to the party being in power at the Centre as well as in a state
"Atrocities against women must be stopped in order to empower society. The double-engine government is working on mission mode to uphold the dignity of women and empower them,” he said. The overall development of society is impossible without the empowerment of women, he added.
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The chief minister said the mass marriage scheme is a successful initiative to combat the evil practice of dowry that is still widely prevalent in society.
"Dowry is a social evil. Society should be part of this campaign for dowry-free marriages," he said.
The state government has conducted more than two lakh marriages since 2017 under the Mukhyamantri Samuhik Vivah Yojana, he said.
"Before 2017, Rs 31,000 was spent on each wedding and the amount was increased to Rs 51,000 (after the BJP came to power). This is the collective effort of the double-engine government," he said.
Reiterating that the government is committed to ensuring the safety, dignity and empowerment of women, the CM said, "Mukhyamantri Kanya Sumangala Yojana is being run in the state for the education of the girl child from birth to graduation, while ‘Mission Shakti’ ensures the safety of women."
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He said parents need not worry about their daughter's marriage after graduation because of the Mukhyamantri Samajik Vivah Yojana.
"This is in line with the spirit of ‘gaon ki beti, sabki beti’," he said while mentioning the government's initiatives for the welfare of women, such as 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' and other schemes of the state and centre.
The CM also pointed out that there is a 20 per cent reservation for women in Uttar Pradesh Police.
From 1947 to 2017, the number of female personnel in UP Police was only 10,000. At present, this number stands at 40,000, he said.
He said work is underway to set up a women's battalion of the PAC in Gorakhpur.
