LUCKNOW, March 8 -- Mission Shakti has become a key pillar of the state's women-safety strategy. Currently, 1,694 Anti-Romeo squads are active across Uttar Pradesh. They have conducted checks at more than 1.18 crore public places, examining over 4.52 crore individuals. Since the Mission Shakti launch in 2020, 24,871 cases have been registered, 33,268 accused were arrested, and more than 1.64 crore people were issued warnings. Wide-ranging initiatives under the campaign and several welfare schemes were highlighted by the state government on the eve of International Women's Day, in a release by the CM Media Cell on Saturday. Officials said that over the past nine years, the government has implemented multiple initiatives aimed at improving women's safety, education, employment opportunities and economic independence across the state. Surveillance infrastructure was expanded under the Safe City initiative, with 7,95,699 CCTV cameras installed across 17 municipal corporations and Gautam Buddh Nagar and 4,150 sensitive hotspots identified for focused monitoring. Officials said these measures have contributed to a decline in crimes against women, including rape, kidnapping of women and children, dowry deaths and domestic violence. To strengthen institutional support, the state has recruited 44,177 women police personnel, while women help desks have been established at all police stations. The integration of Women's Helpline 1090 with Emergency Service 112 has improved the response time for women in distress. At present, 9,172 women beats are active across the state and about 19,839 women police personnel are deployed. In Lucknow, 100 Pink Booths have been set up to assist women. These booths have received 25,216 complaints, of which 24,659 were resolved through counselling. Alongside safety initiatives, the government has focused on education, skill development and employment. Under the Uttar Pradesh Skill Development Mission, women are being trained in more than 1,300 job roles across 35 sectors, including IT, healthcare, electronics, fashion designing, beauty and wellness, and retail. Officials said women's labour force participation in the state has increased from 13% to around 36% in the past nine years. Under the Uttar Pradesh State Rural Livelihood Mission, more than 9.11 lakh self-help groups, 63,519 village organisations and 3,272 cluster-level federations have been formed, linking over 99 lakh rural women with livelihood activities. Through the Lakhpati Mahila Yojana, over 33 lakh women have been identified for income enhancement, with more than 18 lakh women already reaching the lakhpati category. In rural employment programmes, women's participation in 2025-26 reached 42%, with 23.51 lakh women receiving work. The state has also launched a cervical cancer vaccination programme for girls up to 14 years, with the vaccine cost reduced from about Rs.2,100 to around Rs.300....