Gorakhpur: Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday said Uttar Pradesh had transitioned from an environment marked by “fear, hooliganism and illegal encroachments” before 2017 to one where women and girls could pursue education and employment with greater security.Speaking in Chargawan after inaugurating a newly constructed Govt Women’s Shelter Home, the chief minister launched an apparent attack on Samajwadi Party, alleging that in the years before 2017 parents were anxious about their daughters’ safety and education and that SP-linked miscreants harassed and abducted girls. “Today, Uttar Pradesh is free from curfew, riots, fear, hooliganism and illegal encroachments,” he said.The shelter home, built at a cost of Rs 8.05 crore, has a capacity of 100 women and is equipped with essential amenities. Yogi said women forced to leave their homes and those facing domestic violence would no longer have to fend for themselves. He said the facility would support “daughters, sisters and elderly women” separated from their families, and reiterated govt’s focus on women’s dignity, safety and self-reliance.He said the state was supporting girls from birth through higher education, marriage and employment. Under Mukhyamantri Kanya Sumangala Yojana, he said, girls receive assistance totalling Rs 25,000 from birth to graduation, while Rs 1 lakh is provided under the mass marriage scheme.Taking a swipe at the opposition over jobs, Yogi said, “You keep counting, we will keep giving jobs.” He claimed that more than 9.5 lakh youths had been provided govt jobs under Mission Rozgar. He also cited 96 lakh MSME units employing over three crore people and said more than 24,000 startups had created opportunities for young entrepreneurs.He said women were becoming financially independent through initiatives such as Lakhpati Didi, Drone Didi and Banking Correspondent Sakhi. The chief minister also highlighted a decline in encephalitis deaths in eastern Uttar Pradesh, claiming fatalities at BRD Medical College, which had earlier been around 500 annually, had fallen to zero.BJP MP Ravi Kishan said the shelter home would provide safety for destitute women and girls, while Pipraich MLA Mahendrapal Singh said the state was moving towards becoming an “Uttam Pradesh.” The chief minister distributed laptops to 10 beneficiaries of Mukhyamantri Bal Seva (Covid) Yojana and inspected the facility. Earlier, he inspected an under-construction Govt Observation Home for juveniles, being built at a cost of Rs 14.87 crore with a capacity of 100.
