Lucknow: Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday highlighted his govt’s efforts towards women empowerment and said that women have emerged as key drivers of rural economy through dairy farming, self-help groups and financial inclusion initiatives.After offering prayers to goddess Durga on the occasion of Maha Ashtami, Yogi said: “The deity symbolises peace, purity and compassion. True social progress is possible only when women are healthy, safe, educated and economically self-reliant.”Sharing his views on social media platform, Yogi said women’s lives in the state were being transformed through safety, dignity, empowerment and prosperity.The CM said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the ‘double-engine govt’ expanded opportunities for women in the fields of education, nutrition, safety and livelihood, making them active participants while achieving overall development of the state.Highlighting welfare measures, Yogi said over 4 lakh women across 31 districts were associated with dairy companies. Yogi also cited the BC (business correspondent) Sakhi programme, under which women provide banking services in villages, saying the initiative boosted financial inclusion and economic empowerment in rural areas.Targeting previous govts, Yogi alleged that before 2017, nutrition programmes for children were affected by mafia interference. He said the production and distribution of take-home ration was later entrusted to women-led self-help groups, improving transparency and creating livelihood opportunities.Yogi added that the honorarium of Anganwadi workers had been increased from Rs 3,000 to Rs 12,000 per month and that they were being provided health insurance benefits. He also said over 1.2 crore women were associated with self-help groups in the state, while the Lakhpati Didi initiative was helping them achieve economic self-reliance.
