Lucknow, Aug. 27 -- Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday warned those who compromise the safety of women and girls that they would have only "jail or jahannum (hell)" as their destination, as he launched a scheme - 'Lokmata Ahilyabai Matrushakti Yatra' - offering lifelong free travel on state-run buses to women aged 60 years and above. "The initiative is aimed at giving elderly women greater mobility, dignity and independence rather than merely providing free transport," he said at Indira Gandhi Pratishthan here. The move fulfils the commitment made in the BJP's Lok Kalyan Sankalp Patra-2022 under the 'Sashakt Nari' initiative to provide free public transport facilities to women above 60. The government estimates that around 88,438 women will benefit from the scheme every day. He said women should not have to depend on family members to travel for medical treatment, meet relatives, visit religious places, or attend to essential work. Eligible women will be provided special smart cards to facilitate identification and hassle-free travel. The chief minister flagged off special buses, and distributed smart travel cards and gifts to some elderly beneficiaries. He later stepped into one of the buses, interacted with women passengers and took selfies with them before getting off amid greetings. As a special Raksha Bandhan measure, all women regardless of age will be allowed free travel with one companion on UPSRTC and city buses from August 27 to 29. Calling Lokmata Ahilyabai Holkar a symbol of courage, self-respect, service and women's empowerment, Adityanath said the initiative was a tribute to her legacy. He said women in UP were moving "from the chulha to cheques, from cheques to businesses and from businesses to technology". He said the government's broader objective was to ensure women's security, dignity, self-reliance and leadership. Citing government figures, he said women's workforce participation in Uttar Pradesh had risen from 12% before 2017 to 36% now, with the government aiming to take it to 50%. He highlighted Mission Shakti Kendras, AI-based Safe City systems, Pink booths, One Stop Centres and the integrated 1090 and 112 response mechanism as measures strengthening women's security. "Earlier, a daughter's security depended on fate but today it depends on the system, data and technology," he said, adding that women should be able to leave home, work or do business and return safely at night. He also said the number of women police personnel in the state had increased from around 10,000 in 2017 to 45,000. He said 20% women's representation had been made mandatory in police recruitment and the ongoing recruitment of 32,000 personnel would take the number of women in the police force to around 50,000. Taking a swipe at previous governments, Yogi said that before 2017, "the dark shadow of commission-taking" loomed over government schemes, with middlemen interfering in pensions and scholarships. He also alleged that insecurity, riots and curfews had affected women's lives. "Before 2017, daughters were afraid not only to catch a bus, but even to dream," he said, claiming that the BJP government had transformed an atmosphere of "disturbances" into one of celebration and development. The chief minister also cited schemes, including the Mukhyamantri Kanya Sumangala Yojana, mass marriage assistance, housing, Ujjwala, Jal Jeevan Mission and direct benefit transfers, as measures aimed at improving women's dignity and economic security. "There are approximately 12.5 crore (125 million) women in Uttar Pradesh," he said, asserting that the government's effort was to create an ecosystem supporting a girl from birth and education to security, employment, income and the fulfilment of her aspirations. Transport minister Dayashankar Singh, Lucknow mayor Sushma Kharkwal, Rajya Sabha MP Brijlal and several legislators and members of the state Legislative Council attended the event....