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Yogi Adityanath highlights Uttar Pradesh’s women empowerment initiatives on Maha Ashtami, citing higher Anganwadi honorariums, 1.20 crore women in self-help groups and rural entrepreneurship opportunities. (Images: X)
Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has highlighted the state government’s initiatives to improve women’s safety, dignity, healthcare, nutrition and financial independence, asserting that women’s empowerment is central to building a prosperous and inclusive Uttar Pradesh. On the occasion of Maha Ashtami during Sharadiya Navratri, the CM offered prayers to Maa Mahagauri and reflected on the significance of women’s well-being in social development. In a message shared on X on Sunday, he emphasised that meaningful progress requires healthy and secure mothers, adequately nourished daughters, better educational opportunities and the ability of women to lead financially independent lives with dignity.
Adityanath said the state government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was working to expand opportunities for women through welfare programmes, education, nutrition, financial inclusion and livelihood generation. The government’s approach he indicated, seeks to position women not merely as beneficiaries of public welfare, but as active participants in the state’s economic and social transformation.
Highlighting changes in the delivery of nutrition services, the Chief Minister pointed to the increase in the monthly honorarium of Anganwadi workers from Rs 3,000 to Rs 12,000. The government has also extended health insurance benefits to support their welfare and financial security. Anganwadi workers play a crucial role in early childhood care, supplementary nutrition, preschool education and maternal and child health services. Strengthening their financial position, the government maintains is an important step towards improving frontline service delivery. CM also contrasted the current system with the situation before 2017, claiming that the supply of nutrition-related services had previously been affected by entrenched vested interests.
According to the Chief Minister, the responsibility for producing and distributing take-home rations was transferred to women associated with self-help groups after the formation of the state’s double-engine government. The initiative was intended to improve transparency in the supply chain while creating income-generating opportunities for women in local communities. By linking nutrition programmes with women-led enterprises, the model aims to combine public service delivery with livelihood creation and greater financial independence. The government says this approach has also strengthened efforts to address malnutrition across Uttar Pradesh.
Women are also expanding their role in the rural economy through dairy producer companies, Adityanath said. More than four lakh women across 31 districts are associated with dairy enterprises, including Balinee, Samarthya, Kashi, Baba Gorakhnath and Srijani. These organisations are helping women participate in dairy production and related economic activities, creating opportunities for income generation and entrepreneurship. The dairy-based model is intended to strengthen rural livelihoods by connecting women producers with organised business structures and more sustainable economic opportunities.
The Chief Minister also highlighted the BC Sakhi initiative, which operates through gram panchayats to improve access to banking and financial services in rural areas. By bringing banking facilities closer to communities, the programme seeks to make financial transactions more accessible, particularly for people who face difficulties reaching conventional banking outlets. Women working as Banking Correspondent Sakhis can also gain livelihood opportunities while helping residents access formal financial services.
The initiative forms part of the broader effort to strengthen women’s participation in grassroots economic development.
Adityanath said more than 1.20 crore women in Uttar Pradesh were associated with self-help groups, creating a substantial network for collective enterprise, livelihood generation and community-level economic participation. He also referred to the Lakhpati Didi initiative, under which women are encouraged to build sustainable incomes through skills, entrepreneurship and income-generating activities. The broader objective is to help women move towards greater financial stability, improve household welfare and contribute more substantially to the rural economy.
Concluding his message on Maha Ashtami, the Chief Minister connected the festival’s spiritual significance with the wider goal of women’s social and economic advancement. He emphasised that a stronger Uttar Pradesh depends on women having access to safety, dignity, nutrition, economic opportunities and the means to become self-reliant. The initiatives highlighted by the state government span frontline welfare services, women-led enterprises, rural banking and self-help groups. Their long-term impact will depend on effective implementation, sustained income growth and the extent to which these opportunities translate into measurable improvements in women’s lives.
