3 min readLucknowJun 9, 2026 08:52 PM IST
First published on: Jun 9, 2026 at 06:43 PM IST
In a move that could carry political significance ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, the Yogi Adityanath government has begun identifying women affected by triple talaq and acid attacks to extend housing and health insurance benefits under various state and central welfare schemes.
Officials in the Women Welfare Department said the exercise follows directions from CM Adityanath and aims to provide eligible women with permanent housing under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) or the Mukhyamantri Awas Yojana, besides linking them and their families to the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana and the Mukhyamantri Jan Arogya Yojana.
The department has started collecting verified district-wise data on such women, while preparations are also underway to extend the benefits to destitute women. Officials said a government order laying down the eligibility criteria and implementation framework is being drafted.
The move comes nearly a decade after the BJP made the issue of triple talaq a major political and ideological plank, arguing that the practice discriminated against Muslim women.
In 2017, the Supreme Court set aside the centuries-old practice of instant triple talaq or talaq-e-biddat calling it un-Islamic, arbitrary and not an integral part of religious practice.
In 2019, the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2019, was passed in Parliament.
Sources in the state government said the latest initiative is intended to move beyond legal protection and focus on the social and economic rehabilitation of women who may have been left without financial support or permanent shelter following marital disputes.
According to officials, the data collection exercise is aimed at creating a verified database of beneficiaries so eligible women can be linked to government schemes on a priority basis. Coordination is also being established among the housing, health and women welfare departments.
During a recent high-level review meeting, Adityanath directed officials to ensure that women affected by triple talaq or acid attacks and lacking permanent housing are considered for allotment under housing schemes. He also instructed departments to facilitate their enrolment under health insurance programmes.
Officials said the beneficiary identification process is currently underway and the scheme’s operational details will be finalised after the data collection exercise is completed.
The initiative is significant in the broader political context of the BJP’s outreach to women beneficiaries through welfare schemes ahead of the 2027 polls. Women have emerged as a key electoral base in Uttar Pradesh, with successive governments increasingly relying on targeted welfare interventions aimed at improving access to housing, healthcare and social security.
In 2017, the Supreme Court set aside the centuries-old practice of instant triple talaq or talaq-e-biddat calling it un-Islamic, arbitrary and not an integral part of religious practice. (File photo) 
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