Yogi lauds women health workers’ role during Covid

Lucknow: Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday lauded ASHA, ANM and anganwadi workers for their dedication to serve the society selflessly during the Covid-19 pandemic when others were only worried about themselves.
Launching the fourth phase of Mission Shakti campaign at an event held at the Lok Bhawan in Lucknow, the CM also felicitated women achievers, including Padma Shri Hema Prabha Sotia, Isro scientist Ritu Karidhal Srivastava and HCL chairperson Roshni Nadar Malhotra.
“In Indian tradition, three significant aspects of the Goddess, representing truth, knowledge and happiness, are revered out of her nine forms. In today’s event, held a day before Navratri, special guests symbolising these three Goddess-like qualities, are being honoured,” said the CM.
He added that their presence in the event epitomises women’s empowerment and underlines the belief that with persistent effort, anything was achievable.
In praise of Srivastava, who hails from Lucknow, Yogi said her success made it clear that nothing was unattainable, and one can achieve anything through effort and determination.
Sotia, an expert weaver recognised for having woven the Bhagwad Gita into silk, addressed the audience in her mother tongue, Assamese.
The CM said this demonstrated that language should not be a barrier to expressing one’s feelings and that her dedication to handicrafts showcased her empowerment. Malhotra was lauded for her significant contributions to the IT industry and to social work. Her success shows abundant possibilities across various fields, and how timely choices and dedicated pursuits are important, Yogi said.
Highlighting the importance of Mission Shakti, the CM said since 2020, there had been a substantial increase in women’s recruitment in the police, having gone up from 10,000 in 2017 to 40,000. This has led to a noticeable decline in crimes against women as per NCRB data.
Outlining the various pro-women schemes launched by the central and state governments, he listed the benefits that had reached society at large due to these programmes.
“More than 1 crore families, including over 31 lakh destitute women, benefit from the pension scheme while 1.75 crore families are getting the benefit of free cylinders under the PM Ujjwala Yojana. Efforts are underway to expedite the linking of beneficiaries to Aadhaar to ensure that all of them receive free cylinders before Diwali,” the CM said.
In addition to this, homes had been provided to over 55 lakh families and ownership rights granted to 66 lakh families through the PM SVAMITVA Yojana.
Women, the CM said, were the main beneficiaries of these schemes and were also being aligned with campaigns like Beti Bachao Beti Padhao and Matru Vandana.
Under the Mukhyamantri Kanya Sumangala Yojana, the government was giving Rs 15,000 to a girl child from birth up to graduation and Rs 51,000 for their marriage under the mass marriage scheme. Over 3 lakh girls had benefitted under the scheme. “The One District, One Product initiative, primarily benefiting and training women, has served as a model for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Vocal for Local and Local for Global campaigns, boosting exports and promoting the state’s image. I would also like to commend the positive impact of women self-help groups in managing government ration shops, resolving disputes and improving the distribution of nutritious food provided by the child development department,” he said.