Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday offered prayers to Maa Kalaratri on the seventh day of Sharadiya Navratri and linked the religious occasion to the state government’s law and order policies and efforts to increase women’s participation in the economy.
In a message posted on social media platform X, Adityanath said the significance of Maa Kalaratri, worshipped for her association with the destruction of evil and the protection of devotees, conveyed the message that ending injustice, oppression and terror was essential to establishing peace, justice and a society free from fear.
The chief minister also used the occasion to highlight the state government’s approach to crime prevention and women’s safety, contrasting the current administration’s record with the situation before 2017.
Government cites women’s safety measures and police response time
Adityanath said the state had faced challenges related to crime, communal disturbances and the activities of mafia groups before 2017, which, according to him, affected women’s safety, education and opportunities for self-reliance.
He attributed changes in the law and order situation to the state government’s zero-tolerance policy towards crime and criminals. The chief minister said the administration had prioritised enforcement of the rule of law and efforts to create a safer environment for residents.
{{/usCountry}}He attributed changes in the law and order situation to the state government’s zero-tolerance policy towards crime and criminals. The chief minister said the administration had prioritised enforcement of the rule of law and efforts to create a safer environment for residents.
{{/usCountry}}Among the initiatives cited by him were Mission Shakti, the integrated 1090 women’s helpline, women beat policing and the Safe City Project. According to the chief minister, these measures are intended to improve women's access to assistance and enhance their safety at home, on roads, in educational institutions and at workplaces.
Adityanath also claimed that police response time had declined from 65 minutes in 2016 to five minutes at present. The figures were cited by the chief minister to underline the administration’s response to emergency calls and its focus on law enforcement.
The government has also sought to encourage women's participation in employment by improving their sense of security in public spaces and workplaces. Adityanath said women were increasingly able to work night shifts because of the improved security environment. The claim could not be independently verified from the information provided in the statement.
Chief minister highlights rise in women’s workforce participation
The chief minister said women's labour force participation in Uttar Pradesh had increased from 12% to more than 36%. He described the trend as an indication of women's growing role in the state's economic activity.
Adityanath said women were contributing to economic development across agriculture, industry, services and entrepreneurship. Their participation in these sectors, he added, was supporting the state's broader development objectives, including an increase in gross state domestic product (GSDP) and per capita income.
The chief minister also linked women's economic participation to the state's ambition to expand its economic output. However, the statement did not specify the period covered by the workforce participation figures, the source of the data or the methodology used to calculate them.
Women's labour force participation is an important indicator of economic engagement, reflecting the share of women who are employed or actively seeking work. Changes in the rate can be influenced by several factors, including employment opportunities, access to education and skills, working conditions and participation in agricultural and informal work.
The state government's cited initiatives and figures highlight the administration's stated priorities around public safety and women's economic participation. Independent data on police response times, crime trends and labour force participation would be needed to assess the extent of the changes and their relationship with government policies.