Uttar Pradesh's first Women Economic Empowerment Index (WEE Index), covering all 75 districts, was released on Tuesday. Developed by the Planning Department in partnership with Udayati Foundation, the index highlights strong performances from districts like Lucknow, Kanpur, and Varanasi. It also spotlights regions that need focused attention to boost women's participation.

The index measures women’s participation and benefits from government schemes across five core sectors: entrepreneurship, emplo.yment, education and skill development, livelihood, and safety. The findings placed Lucknow, Kanpur, and Varanasi among the top performers, while districts like Shravasti, Sambhal, and Mahoba showed relatively low engagement. Calling it a "historic step" toward women’s self-reliance, the state's Chief Minister instructed officials to integrate the index with the CM’s Control Room for continuous, real-time monitoring and targeted action.

Key initiatives include prioritising women in Home Guard and teacher recruitment, expanding skill development programs, and setting up "re-enrollment units" to support dropouts. To boost female participation in transport, the state will train women as bus drivers and conductors. Additionally, marginalised districts like Banda and Sitapur will receive targeted campaigns under the ODOP Margin Money Scheme.

"Women’s progress means UP’s progress", CM emphasised, urging officials to treat the index as a policy roadmap, not just a report. This initiative aims to bridge gaps in gender parity and accelerate women-led development in India’s most populous state.