Lucknow, July 30 (Reporter) During a discussion on women's safety in Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday attacked Samajwadi Party (SP) by describing the party as a 'serious threat' and accusing members of the Opposition party of being directly or indirectly involved in crimes against women. The CM said, "The state government is serious about the issue and the continuous decline in crimes against women and children in Uttar Pradesh bears testimony to this." He emphasised that the fear of legal action now deters criminals. Continuing his attack on the SP, he said that the party was the first to oppose the formation of the Anti-Romeo Squad in 2018, which was his government's first major initiative to curb crime against women. He accused members of the SP of being directly or indirectly involved in crimes against women, representing a mindset that trivialises such offences. "In crimes against women, SP embodies the mindset of a generation that dismisses such issues with the excuse that 'boys will be boys, make mistakes'. How can these individuals genuinely address the topic of safety?," he said. Yogi that the state government remains vigilant and proactive in safeguarding every daughter and businessperson. In response to a question about women's safety, he said, "There are two categories of issues, those occurring inside the home and those outside. The government has addressed both areas with concrete measures. Compared to 2016, there has been a notable decrease in various cases." The CM said, "Specifically, dowry-related incidents have dropped by approximately 17.5 percent and rape cases by 25.3 percent from 2023 to 2024." He said, "Between 2017 and 2024, the state government has bolstered its prosecution efforts for sexual harassment cases involving minors, with significant results. To date, 24,402 accused individuals have been convicted. Under the Pocso Act, 9,875 cases have resulted in convictions. From 2022 to 2024, 16,718 individuals have been convicted under Pocso Act, with 21 sentenced to death, 17,013 awarded life sentences, 4,653 getting jail term for 10 years and and 10,331 sentences of less than ten years." Yogi highlighted several state initiatives to enhance women's safety. "The state has fully utilised the Investigation Tracking System for Sexual Offences portal established by the Union Government in 2018. This system has enabled effective monitoring within the state, leading to a significant reduction in case backlogs," he said. He said, "UP is currently second in the country in the rate of pending cases and third in the conviction of criminals in such cases. The state also leads the nation in e-prosecution and the resolution of cases related to women and child crimes, with over 98 percent of these cases being resolved." The CM said, "A 24/7 helpline, 181, is available for women facing domestic violence and 1090 provides support for crimes occurring outside the home. These services are integrated with the 112 emergency number." He said, "Every district has set up a Mahila Thana responsible for managing additional police stations. A dedicated Women's Help Desk has been set up in 1,585 police stations across the state." Yogi said that since 2020, the government has advanced the Mission Shakti campaign significantly. "Over the past 7 years, approximately 1,50,000 police personnel have been recruited. Before 2017, only 10,000 police officers were hired, but between 2017 and 2022-23, more than 20,000 women constables were recruited. doubling the number employed in the 70 years since independence within just five years," he said. He said that this measure was made mandatory to ensure women benefit from 20 percent horizontal reservation in police recruitment. "The formation of Women's PAC units was also promoted in Lucknow, Gorakhpur and Badaun. The newly recruited female police officers are not confined to offices or police stations and they are also tasked with enhancing women's safety and connecting them with government schemes," he said. The CM said that over 10,000 women's beat stations and pink booths have been set up across the state to support this. "As part of Mission Shakti, these female beat officers conduct weekly visits to discuss women's issues, resolve problems, and educate women about safety schemes, skill development and self-reliance," he said. During the House proceedings, the newly-appointed Leader of Opposition, Mata Prasad Pandey, raised the issue of women's safety from CM Yogi. At first, Yogi congratulated Pandey on his new role. However, he subtly criticized Akhilesh Yadav and Shivpal Yadav. "I congratulate you on your appointment. Unfortunately, the uncle's fate seems to be such that his nephew always sidelines him," he said. This comment was directed at Shivpal Yadav, as SP's national president, Akhilesh Yadav, had chosen Pandey for the position instead of Shivpal...////...