Lucknow, August 26, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday announced a series of proposed measures for women ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, including annual financial assistance of Rs 40,000 to every woman under a proposed ‘Stri Samman Samriddhi Yojana’.
Yadav said the amount would be increased further if the Samajwadi Party returned to power in Uttar Pradesh.
The SP chief also promised laptops for girls who clear Class 12, transportation facilities for female students, reopening of 26,000 closed primary schools and measures aimed at strengthening women’s safety and economic independence.
Mainpuri MP Dimple Yadav, referring to the “A” in the party’s PDA framework as “half the population”, said respecting and economically empowering women remained an SP priority. PDA refers to Pichhda (backward classes), Dalit and Alpsankhyak (minorities), the social coalition associated with Akhilesh Yadav’s political strategy.
She urged women not to remain constrained by old customs and social restrictions.
Addressing the gathering, Akhilesh Yadav said the progress of Uttar Pradesh and the country could not be achieved without the participation of women. He said an SP government would work towards their dignity, security and economic self-reliance.
Taking a swipe at the BJP, Yadav said, “Even those who do not understand technology are now talking about distributing tablets… For the BJP, women have become merely a political slogan.”
He cited the 1090 women’s helpline and 102 ambulance service introduced during the previous SP government as examples of what he described as “concrete work” in women’s safety and healthcare.
Yadav also questioned the delay in implementing the Women’s Reservation Act and demanded that women’s reservation be implemented in the upcoming elections.
On mobility, he said women and female students would be provided transportation facilities, including free metro travel for female students through a card. He said the party’s broader objective was to make women independent and empowered.
The SP chief also criticised the Uttar Pradesh government’s ‘Lokmata Ahilyabai Matrishakti Yatra Yojana’, under which free bus travel has been announced for elderly women. Referring to the similarity between the government’s announcement and his party’s proposals, Yadav said information about SP plans appeared to be reaching the government.
“If we plan something, and then the information gets leaked. This is the result of making bus travel free for elderly women,” he said.
Yadav further announced that an SP government would reopen 26,000 previously closed primary schools and improve facilities at Anganwadi centres. He also promised to revive the bicycle scheme for students, under which bicycles were distributed during the previous SP government.
On women’s access to sanitation facilities, he called for better public toilets and said such facilities should be respectfully referred to as “Izzatghar”.
Yadav said the SP would work to reduce women’s sense of insecurity and ensure greater freedom and empowerment for women.
FOLLOW NOW
