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Mission Shakti 3.0 launched in UP, ₹ 30.12 crore transferred to 155,000 girls’ accounts
Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman praises PM Modi, UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath for women empowerment measures
The Uttar Pradesh government on Saturday launched the third phase of Mission Shakti as Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, governor Anandiben Patel and chief minister Yogi Adityanath transferred ₹ 30.12 crore Kanya Sumangla Yojana money into the accounts of 1.55 lakh (155,000) girls, the new beneficiaries of the scheme, here.
Mission Shakti is the UP government’s flagship programme aimed at promoting the security, dignity and empowerment of women. The first phase was launched in October last year.
Talking about women empowerment by the Yogi government in UP, Sitharaman said: “I can say that if you have a chief minister like him, then I can foresee the bright and prosperous future of the state and women in it. For the financial empowerment of people in the rural areas, he (Yogi) has appointed women banking correspondents, Banking Sakhis, all over the state.”
Sitharaman further said: “CM Yogi’s energy, hard work and dedication are exemplary. I understand that he has travelled to each of the 75 districts of UP ten times over in the last five years. If you have a chief minister like this, then the state is set to progress fast. He is a very popular chief minister.”
After chief minister Yogi Adityanath credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the all-round progress of the country since he became PM in 2014, Sitharaman lauded the PM’s efforts for launching several women-centric schemes and giving women priority in several other schemes.
“In the latest cabinet reshuffle, PM Modi gave prominence to women. At present, there are 11 women ministers in the Union cabinet,” she said.
“When a woman gets encouragement and opportunity, she does not feel shy and hesitant, and once she becomes a part of a task, she gives her best,” said Sitharaman
“And, this is the speciality of women,” she said at the Indira Gandhi Pratishthan in Lucknow after the launch of the campaign.
Sitharaman also said: “Before coming to Delhi as the Prime Minister in 2014, Modiji auctioned all the gifts he had received as Gujarat CM and donated the proceeds for the education of girl children. During his chief ministership of Gujarat, he took several steps for empowering women in the state, including measures for increasing the number of women in panchayats.”
“Whether it is the Ujjwala scheme, the Jan Dhan scheme or the MUDRA scheme, women are given priority in several schemes launched by the Centre,” the finance minister said.
Speaking on the Covid vaccination drive, she said: “Even some developed countries do not have vaccines. But due to PM Modi’s efforts, we are producing six vaccines in India. We want to provide vaccines quickly to the country, especially the vulnerable population. And there will be vaccines for children over 12 years of age soon.”
Sitharaman ended her speech by saying: “Jai Uttar Pradesh, Jai Bharat.”
Sitharaman, Patel, and Yogi also felicitated 75 women from government and non-governmental sectors for their contribution to the first and the second phases of Mission Shakti and then laid the foundation stone (remotely) for the Veerangana Avantibai Battalion of PAC (Provincial Armed Constabulary) campus, Badaun.
The third phase of the programme will end on December 31. The main schemes that are scheduled to be implemented in this phases are the launch of Mission Shakti Kaksha (classrooms) at all the 59,000 gram panchayat bhawans (village panchayat buildings), formation of one lakh women self-help groups, linking of 1.73 lakh (173,000) new beneficiaries to the destitute women pension scheme, safe city project at the divisional headquarters and Gautam Buddh Nagar, posting of women police personnel as beat police officers, construction of pink toilets (for women) in 1,286 police stations, special recruitment for women battalions of Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) to 2,982 posts, deployment of women sub-inspectors in urban areas, setting up of creches in all police lines and construction of health clubs in women’s colleges.
The governor said it was time that women started looking for empowerment within. She praised both Modi and Yogi for their government’s women empowerment initiatives.
Yogi said that after the transfer of ₹ 30.12 crore into the accounts of 1.55 lakh new beneficiaries, the total number of Mukhyamantri Kanya Sumangala Yojana beneficiaries has reached 9.36 lakh.
He said that 54% seats were won by women in the panchayat polls in UP this time.
“Imagine, before this, women police personnel never used to be deputed on beat posting (field duty). Women used to wonder, why so? But now, they are getting and will be getting beat police officers’ postings.”
UP minister of state (independent charge) for women welfare, child development and nutrition Swati Singh, deputy chief minister Dinesh Sharma, UP finance minister Suresh Khanna, state women commission chairperson Vimla Batham and Apollo group of hospitals’ joint managing director Dr Sangita Reddy were also present on the occasion.
