By Pradeep Kapoor
LUCKNOW: Priyanka Gandhi and her Congress party have succeeded in setting up women empowerment as prominent agenda for the assembly polls.
Overwhelming response to the pink marathon at Jhansi under Congress slogan ‘Ladki hun lad sakti hun’ and the participation of 10,000 women in it have boosted the morale of the party leaders.
Ever since Priyaka Gandhi announced her decision to reserve 40 per seats for women and issued a separate manifesto for women, other parties also took up the issue of women empowerment seriously. The main political parties are now revising their campaign and giving more emphasis to women-oriented programmes.
Samajwadi Party and its national president Akhilesh Yadav repeatedly said that if voted to power the government would implement various schemes for women empowerment conceived during their previous regime.
Samajwadi Party promised to implement women empowerment schemes for their education, economic independence, health, Rani Luxmibai women welfare fund to help women who need monetary assistance, internationally acclaimed 1090 woman power line which expedited 5,58,000 cases reported by females.
Samajwadi Party also promised to implement Kishori Shakti Yojna, which will provide vocational training and nutritious food to women.
The revival of old scheme of Kanya Vidhya Dhan to encourage young girls to obtain education and reserve 50 per cent jobs for women in IT city are two other promises being made by SP.
After watching Priyanka Gandhi and promises made by Samajwadi Party, the ruling BJP is also attaching much importance to women empowerment.
The recent visit of PM Narendra Modi to Prayagraj was also aimed at women empowerment in view of the assembly polls. The entire machinery was geared up to bring women from various districts to participate in Modi’s programme, where he announced several welfare schemes for women and transferred Rs 1000 crore to self-help groups under the Deendayal Antodaya Yojna under National Rural Llivelihood Mission to benefit about 16 lakh women.
In an ambitious program of Digital Youth: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath launched free distribution of smartphones and tablets to 1 crore students pursuing undergraduate and post graduate courses in UP.
Similarly other political parties are involved in formulating and making an assessment of various women empowerment schemes so as to make it a plank in the assembly polls. (IPA Service)
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