Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has stated that women’s participation in the state’s workforce has increased significantly within the last eight years, under his leadership.
“When we came to office, the rate of women workforce was around 12-15%, but this number has soared to 35-36% in the past years,” the chief minister shared during his address at the national convention of FICCI FLO — the women’s wing of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry — in Lucknow.
“When women become self-reliant, the country and state also become self-reliant. For a developed India, women can fulfil an even more important responsibility than the strong participation of men. Women are leading society in every field today,” said Yogi, encouraging FICCI FLO to inspire more women to join the workforce.
The minister highlighted the increase in women in the state’s police force. He stated that where there had been only 10,000 women in the UP police in 2017, the number has now jumped to 44,000. He added that the number is sure to increase as the UP government has made it mandatory to have 20% women in the workforce.
Yogi also talked about the Balini Milk Producers Group as an example of the state’s vision for women’s participation in the workforce. “Established in 2019, this group had a handful of women who were barely class eight pass. But due to their diligence and vision, they have grown into a force of 62,000 women that none can reckon with. Now, they are linking new milk producers in Lucknow, Agra, Varanasi, and Gorakhpur, with which thousands of women are joining economic self-reliance,” he said.
Further, the chief minister talked about how there is no shortage of opportunities for those who want to find a way. “Bangladesh’s position in the global market of readymade garments is continuously declining. India can capture that market. This is an opportunity for women entrepreneurs,” Yogi said, adding, “FICCI FLO can play a major role in advancing half the population through the flatted factory model in readymade garments.”
Yogi suggested that FICCI FLO should connect women and set a target of reaching not 16,000 but 16 lakh organisations in the first phase. Every small and big work is an enterprise, he stated and assured the organisation that the UP government will cooperate in the campaign.
