Yogi Adityanath highlights girls' education, maternal health on Navratri

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday highlighted the importance of girls’ education, maternal health and women’s empowerment on the occasion of Navratri, saying that a healthy and empowered female population was essential for securing the country’s future.In a post on X, Adityanath described Maa Skandamata, worshipped on the fifth day of Navratri, as a symbol of affection, maternal love and nourishment. He said the deity’s worship carried the message that the nation’s present could be secure and its future bright only when women were healthy, educated and empowered.The Chief Minister criticised previous governments in Uttar Pradesh, alleging that before 2017, political interests and family-based politics had taken precedence over the welfare of women and girls.He claimed that neglect and corruption had affected maternal healthcare, with poorly equipped hospitals, medicine shortages and inadequate facilities for institutional deliveries contributing to high maternal and infant mortality. Adityanath said his government had worked over the past nine and a half years to strengthen healthcare, education and welfare measures for women and girls, creating a support system spanning a girl’s birth, education and safe motherhood.Highlighting improvements in school infrastructure, the Chief Minister said the coverage of basic facilities in primary schools had increased from 36 per cent to more than 96 per cent under Operation Kayakalp. He also claimed that the school dropout rate had fallen from 20 per cent to below 3 per cent. He pointed to Atal Residential Schools, which provide residential education to children from workers’ families and disadvantaged sections, as another initiative aimed at expanding access to quality education. The extension of educational facilities up to Class 12 in Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas, he said, was helping girls continue their studies.Emphasising the long-term benefits of educating girls, Adityanath said investment in their education strengthened their confidence and contributed to the future of Uttar Pradesh.- Ends