Under the leadership of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, a 10-day Women’s Beat and Women’s Help Desk campaign launched by the Women and Child Protection Organization of Uttar Pradesh Police for the empowerment of women and daughters from July 21 has been extended for a week, i.e. till August 7.

This initiative is in line with the Mission Shakti campaign, which is periodically conducted in Uttar Pradesh, and aims at the honor, safety, and empowerment of women in the state.

Under the campaign, beat police officers (male and female beat officers) of the police station area patrolled sensitive and high-risk areas related to women’s safety in plain clothes. Offenders involved in eve-teasing and harassment of women/girls were identified, warned, and, when necessary, legally dealt with as per the requirement.

During this, more than 17,000 elements of misconduct were identified. Some of them were let off with warnings, while others faced legal action and fines.

Anupam Kulshreshtha, the Additional Director General of the Women and Child Safety Organization, stated here on Thursday that under the guidance of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, a ten-day campaign for women empowerment was started across the state in the fourth phase of Mission Shakti which will now run every month. Currently, this ten-day campaign has been extended until August 7.

He stated that women and girls across the state were provided information about various government welfare schemes by the department’s Shakti Didi during the campaign. He further mentioned that they were also helped to resolve any issues they faced in availing the benefits of these schemes by coordinating with the relevant departments.

The Additional Director General further stated that though the department addresses problems faced by women and girls on a daily basis, during this campaign, Shakti Didi is actively reaching out to them in the field to provide immediate solutions to their issues. This approach was adopted because it is not always possible to address all the problems during routine days. Hence, the decision to extend the campaign was made to ensure better outreach and support for women and girls in need.

During the Women’s Beat and Women’s Help Desk campaign, a total of 12,904 beat police officers (both male and female) patrolled across the state and identified 17,324 elements of misconduct. Out of these, 14,533 individuals were counseled and warned, while 558 cases were registered as formal complaints.

Additionally, action was taken under Section 110 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) against 167 individuals, while cases were being pursued under the Goonda Act against 122 individuals. Furthermore, 151/107/116 CrPC actions were initiated against 1,825 individuals. During the campaign, other challan/fine proceedings were initiated against 119 people.

During school visits in the beat areas, which included primary, secondary, and intermediate schools, children were educated and made aware of various child offenses. Special seminars were organized by experts to provide children with information on good touch and bad touch.