In a powerful statement on 22 November 2025, Yogi Adityanath highlighted a significant leap in women’s workforce participation in Uttar Pradesh: from around 12-15 % about eight years ago, the figure has now reached 35-36 %. Speaking at a national convention of FICCI FLO (the women’s wing of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry) in Lucknow, he underlined one of the most visible indicators: women in the state police force.
In 2017 there were just 10,000 female personnel; that number has now grown to 44,000 following a policy mandating a 20 % quota for women in police recruitment. Citing the example of the Balini Milk Producers group in Jhansi , which expanded from a handful of uneducated women in 2019 to a 62,000-strong network today , the CM stressed that “when women become self-reliant, society progresses faster.” He also called on FICCI FLO members to connect more women’s organisations and build clusters of entrepreneurship, pointing to opportunities such as the off-shoring of labour from Bangladesh’s garment sector.
The statement underscores a broader push of the UP government to integrate women into economic, social and security systems , not merely as beneficiaries but as active agents of growth and development.