Women’s safety wing of Gautam Budh Nagar police to designate 500 ‘Shakti Didi’ in district

According to officials, women representatives and activists from various areas of the district will serve as intermediaries between the public and the police

The Gautam Budh Nagar police launched a program on Wednesday to appoint 500 women residents across the district as ‘Shakti Didi’ as part of an outreach initiative under the Uttar Pradesh government’s ‘Mission Shakti’ program, officials said.

Thirty ‘Shakti Didis’ from Noida Zone-3 of the commissionerate were honored with a ‘Shakti Didi’ badge by the commissioner during an inaugural event on Wednesday. (Sunil Ghosh/HT Photo)

According to officials, women representatives and activists from various areas of the district will serve as intermediaries between the public and the police. Their role will involve streamlining women’s safety complaints and raising awareness about various schemes related to women’s safety and empowerment, officials said.

As a pilot project, 30 ‘Shakti Didis’ from Noida Zone-3 of the commissionerate were honored with a ‘Shakti Didi’ badge by the commissioner during an inaugural event held at the auditorium in the police commissionerate office in Sector 108, Noida.

Commissioner of police Laxmi Singh, said, “The objective is to ensure that every household is aware of the policies and schemes implemented by the state government to promote women’s safety and empowerment”. Singh said that the Mission Shakti program is not limited to foot patrolling during Navratra but focuses on the financial, emotional, and physical empowerment of women throughout the year.

Assistant commissioner of police-3, Noida, Saumya Singh, said that the Shakti Didis include women representatives from diverse backgrounds. “The group comprises active women residents from various high-rise societies as well as women activists from rural areas within the zone. They will have contact numbers for local women beat police officers and will stay connected with senior officers through WhatsApp groups to address women’s issues in their respective areas,” the ACP said.

Priti Yadav, additional deputy commissioner of police for women’s safety, outlined the plan to designate 500 Shakti Didis throughout the district within the next two weeks. “The women’s safety wing conducts women beat policing in all police station areas to educate women in rural regions about laws safeguarding their rights. So far, we have organized over 150 chaupals (community gatherings) in rural areas. Shakti Didis will facilitate greater public-police engagement, bringing the police closer to the community,” she said.

Yadav further added that the women’s safety wing has conducted more than 50 seminars on women’s safety, cybercrime awareness, self-reliance, and Indian laws pertaining to women’s rights in factories, schools, colleges, offices, residential areas, and slums throughout the district this year.