Continuing its thrust on pro-women, pro-rural and pro-poor initiatives, the Adityanath Yogi Government in Uttar Pradesh, organised another mass marriage ceremony, under the Mukhyamantri Samuhik Vivah Yojana.

Speaking on the occasion Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said No society can advance by ignoring women. “Development is impossible without the empowerment of half the population,” he added.

Blessing over 1,500 couples who tied the knot during the event held in Gorakhpur, Yogi said, “Atrocities on women must to empower society. In pursuit of this goal, the double-engine government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is working on mission mode to uphold the dignity of women and empower them.”

The chief minister emphasised that the Mass Marriage Scheme is a successful initiative to combat the evil of dowry widely prevalent in society. “Dowry is a social evil, and the whole society should be part of the campaign for dowry-free marriage.”

Asserting that the state government has conducted more than two lakh marriages since 2017 under the  Mukhyamantri Samuhik Vivah Yojana, Yogi said, “Prior to 2017, Rs 31,000 were spent on the marriage of each couple, later, it was increased to Rs 51,000. This is the collective effort of the double-engine government.”

Reiterating that the double-engine government is committed to ensuring the safety, dignity and empowerment of women, the CM said, “Mukhyamantri Kanya Sumangala Yojana is being run in the state for the education of girl child from birth to graduation, while ‘Mission Shakti’ is being run in the entire state to ensure the safety of women.”

He added that there is no need to worry about a girl’s marriage after graduation because there is the Mukhyamantri Samajik Vivah Yojana. This is in line with the spirit of ‘gaanv ki beti, sabki beti’. CM Yogi also mentioned the government’s initiatives for the welfare of women, such as Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao and Matru Vandana.

The chief minister also pointed out that, in order to promote daughters, his government has made it mandatory to recruit 20 percent of women in police. From 1947 to 2017, the number of female personnel in UP Police was 10,000, today, this number has increased to 40,000. Since 2017, this number has quadrupled in just six years. Giving impetus to such a campaign, the work of setting up a women’s battalion of PAC in Gorakhpur is being carried forward rapidly.