While attending the mass marriage ceremony under the Mukhyamantri Samuhik Vivah Yojana, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday said that development of society was not possible without the empowerment of women.
Extending his best wishes to over 1,500 couples who tied the knot during the event held in Gorakhpur, the chief minister said, “Atrocities against women must be stopped in order to empower society. As a result, the double-engine government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is working on mission mode to uphold the dignity of women and empower them.”
The chief minister said that the mass marriage scheme was a successful initiative to combat the evil dowry practice that was still widely prevalent in society.
Asserting that the state government has conducted more than two lakh marriages since 2017 under the Mukhyamantri Samuhik Vivah Yojana, Yogi said, “Prior to 2017, Rs 31,000 were spent on the marriage of each couple, later, it was increased to Rs 51,000.”
Reiterating that the double-engine government was committed to ensuring the safety, dignity and empowerment of women, the chief minister said, “Mukhyamantri Kanya Sumangala Yojana is being run in the state for the education of girl child from birth to graduation, while Mission Shakti is being run in the entire state to ensure the safety of women.”
The chief minister also said that, in order to promote daughters, his government had made it mandatory to recruit 20 per cent of women in the police force.
“From 1947 to 2017, the number of female personnel in UP Police was 10,000, today this number has increased to 40,000. Giving impetus to such a campaign, the work of setting up a women’s battalion of PAC in Gorakhpur is being carried forward rapidly,” he said.