Women's safety took centre stage in Gorakhpur on Monday, October 12, 2026, as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath launched a large-scale awareness rally under the sixth phase of Mission Shakti — the state's flagship programme for the protection, empowerment, and self-reliance of women and girls.

Mission Shakti's sixth push hits the streets

The rally, held in Gorakhpur district, forms part of a statewide mobilisation drive carried out under Mission Shakti ka 6vaan charan (the sixth phase of Mission Shakti). The initiative typically deploys police personnel, ASHA workers, anganwadi staff, and student volunteers in a coordinated march designed to spread awareness about women's legal rights, helpline numbers, and anti-harassment measures at the grassroots level.

What Mission Shakti means for UP's 10 crore women

Mission Shakti was first launched in October 2020 as a concentrated, time-bound campaign covering all 75 districts of Uttar Pradesh. Successive phases have broadened its scope — from legal literacy drives and self-defence workshops to the creation of Mission Shakti cells inside every police station in the state. The programme targets women and girls across urban and rural UP, with outreach channelled through schools, colleges, and panchayat bodies. Each new phase is typically launched around Navratri, aligning the government's messaging with the cultural salience of feminine power.

Gorakhpur holds particular symbolic weight in this story: it is the home of the Gorakhnath Math, the religious institution CM Yogi heads as its Mahant, and the city from which he has long anchored his political and social base. A rally launched here carries both administrative and symbolic resonance for his government.

Gorakhpur as ground zero for the campaign's optics

Choosing Gorakhpur as a Phase 6 rally venue underscores the administration's intent to root the campaign in its most recognisable constituency. District-level awareness rallies under Mission Shakti are designed to be replicable across UP's divisions, with Gorakhpur's event expected to set the template that other district administrations follow in the coming days.

For women in eastern UP — a region historically flagged for crime against women — the visibility of senior leadership at such drives carries a message beyond optics: that enforcement and awareness must travel together.

If the past five phases are a guide, Phase 6 will not stop at a rally — the real test is whether the district-level machinery converts the momentum into measurable outcomes on helpline responsiveness and FIR registration rates.