Lucknow, 15 Oct (HS): Yogi Adityanath, Chief Minister of

Uttar Pradesh, sent out a special Navratri greeting to Maa Skandamata (the

fifth form of Mother Durga), highlighting women's empowerment, maternal health,

and girls' education. On the fifth day of Navratri, he paid his respects to Maa

Skandamata, who is adored as the personification of maternal love, tenderness,

and nutrition (vatsalya). He emphasized that a safe nation present and a

prosperous future are only achievable if women and girls are healthy, educated,

and empowered. Prior to 2017, he chastised governments for prioritizing family

politics over females' education and maternity health.

He cited state accomplishments under the double-engine

government, including as free education for daughters, lower

maternal-infant death rates, and improved safety for women in Uttar Pradesh. It

was emphasized that putting mothers' health and daughters' education first is

critical for society advancement. It was claimed that political interests and

negligence previous to 2017 impacted maternity healthcare and girls' education

in Uttar Pradesh. Ongoing attempts to enhance women's dignity and safety

include the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao campaign, the Mukhyamantri Kanya Sumangala

Yojana, and mass marriage plans.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath stressed a

strong support ecosystem for females, ranging from birth and schooling to safe

parenting, and linked these activities to the Navratri festival's worship of Goddess

Skandamata (the fifth form of Mother Durga). The state government

gives structured financial packages to parents of females in several phases

through initiatives such as the Mukhyamantri Kanya Sumangala Yojana, creating

financial assistance from the time of birth. The Beti Bachao Beti Padhao

campaign and other birth-focused efforts seek to favorably influence cultural

views about the girl child, viewing girls as sources of strength and future

leadership.

Reaffirming Maa Skandamata's nurturing message, the

government has concentrated on significantly improving maternal healthcare,

moving away from prior structural weaknesses such as inadequately equipped

institutions and medicine shortages. The state heavily uses national and state

collaborations, including as the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana, to give

financial and nutritional assistance to pregnant and breastfeeding women, hence

lowering infant and maternal death rates.

Financial aid packages are meant to span a girl's full life cycle, from birth

to graduation, with the goal of empowering girls to be completely independent. Operation

Kayakalp has significantly boosted basic facility coverage in elementary

schools from 36% to over 96%, guaranteeing adequate learning conditions for

girls.

Rani Laxmibai Scooty Yojana, which distributes scooters to

deserving female students to let them move around and pursue their education

independently. The Mission Shakti Campaign is committed to the protection,

respect, and self-reliance of women, and its administrative structure stretches

from local Gram Panchayats to industrial units and educational campuses. The CM

issued serious cautions that anybody violating the safety or dignity of

daughters will face severe legal penalties, comparing the current secure atmosphere

with the anarchy of bygone ages. Three Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC)

women battalions have been named after historic warriors—Rani Avanti Bai Lodhi,

Veerangana Uda Devi, and Veerangana Jhalkari Bai—in order to mainstream women

in security leadership.

He mentioned in a post on X, “Seated on the throne

eternally, with two hands resting on the lotus. May the auspicious Goddess

Skandamata, the renowned one, always bestow her blessings. At the feet of

Mother Skandamata, the fifth form of the primordial power Mother Durga, I offer

millions upon millions of obeisances. May all resolutions gain strength through

Mother's grace, may life be filled with auspiciousness, and may love and joy

forever prevail in families. Jai Ma Skandamata.”

“The presiding deity of affection, maternal love, and

nourishment, Mother Skandamata, through her worship, imparts to us this sacred

message: that when women's strength is healthy, educated, and empowered, only

then is the nation's present secure and its future radiant. Before the year

2017, instead of providing support to daughters, the previous governments were

solely engrossed in nurturing their own political cliques. In the state, the

health of mothers and the education of daughters had fallen prey to gross

neglect and corruption. The dilapidated state of hospitals, the shortage of

medicines, and the lax arrangements for institutional deliveries had pushed

maternal and infant mortality rates to an alarming level. Over the past nine

and a half years, the double-engine government has undertaken the task of

transforming this situation,” he stated in a post on X.

He further mentioned, “Due to the lack of facilities, lakhs

of daughters in the state were forced to drop out of their studies. However,

over the past 9.5 years, the double-engine government has created a

comprehensive cycle of security and welfare for daughters, from their birth to

their education and safe motherhood. Through Operation Kayakalp, the saturation

of basic facilities in primary schools has increased from 36% to more than 96%.

Meanwhile, the school dropout rate has decreased from 20% to less than 3%. Through

Atal Awasiya Vidyalayas, daughters from worker and deprived sections are

receiving modern, world-class residential education. The expansion of

facilities for education up to Class 12 in Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas is

providing daughters with opportunities to complete their education. Investing

in the education of daughters is an investment in their self-confidence and in

strengthening the future of the state.”

Hindusthan Samachar / Abhishek Awasthi