The most influential social revolution in Uttar Pradesh since 2017, under the Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath-led government is ‘Mission Shakti’, a scheme that has transformed the government’s approach to women beyond security to ‘Equal Participation and Economic Empowerment’. Over eight years, this initiative has not only transformed the environment for women’s safety but has also transformed women into new, empowered role models such as Lakhpati Didi, SHG leader, entrepreneur, trainer, and assistant.
As of 2017, women in the state were struggling with a lack of security, justice, and opportunities and the number of crimes against women was alarming. 1,647 police stations lacking women’s help desk, and the ‘1090 helpline’ also lacked a dedicated service. The school dropout rate for girls was very high, and the maternal mortality rate was 258 per lakh births in 2015-16. The institutional framework for the safety and health of mothers as well of daughters was almost non-existent. Domestic violence, discrimination, and awareness about women’s rights were very limited socially. Economically, the situation was even more challenging, female labour force participation was only 12 to 15 percent, and approximately 95 lakh women remained to be connected to Self-Help Groups.
But by 2025, the picture has completely changed. The impact of the five phases of Mission Shakti, especially Mission Shakti 5.0, launched in September 2025, has decisively accelerated this transformation. Today, more than 9crore women in the state are directly or indirectly part of this initiative. The establishment of Mission Shakti desks in government police stations has made complaints filing very simple, easy, and safe for women. Today, the deployment of Pink Booths, dedicated women’s desks, and trained female personnel in every police station ensures that security is no longer just on paper, but on the ground.
Female labour force participation has reached 35 to 36 percent, nearly three times the level in 2017. Self-Help Groups have revolutionized the economy. Women, once confined to their homes, are now operating small industries, cottage industries, handicraft sales management, e-commerce, and digital transactions. Thousands of women have become Lakhpati Didi, with annual incomes of ₹1.2 lakh or more. These women have not only secured their livelihoods but also transformed their families’ economic fortunes and strengthened the local economy.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s government believes, the journey of Women’s Safety to Women’s self-reliance is the foundation of a new Uttar Pradesh, it is result of the state government’s progressive vision that today, Uttar Pradesh’s women power has contributed directly and indirectly to the state’s Gross Domestic Product, amounting to over ₹3 lakh crore. Women’s participation in the rural economy has become so strong that development is now being driven by a balance between urban and rural areas. Awareness of their legal rights was previously almost non-existent, but now it has become a part of public consciousness. The silence surrounding domestic violence is breaking, and women are coming forward to complain and seek justice.
School enrolment has increased, and the availability of health services has led to a steady decline in maternal mortality. In these eight years, the history of women in Uttar Pradesh can be summed up in one sentence, ‘from security to respect, and from respect to self-reliance’. Mission Shakti has transformed the women of Uttar Pradesh into a force for development, this transformation is the result of the vision of the Yogi Adityanath government and the active participation of 9 crore women in Uttar Pradesh. This story is not just about one state but of a social revolution where women’s rights have become not just slogans but a practical reality, only because of the able leadership of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
