Bhopal, June 9 (IANS) The Madhya Pradesh government on Tuesday extended the ‘Shaurya Dal’ initiative for five years, from 2026–27 to 2030–31, after the women-led network grew into a 2.25 million-strong force credited with preventing crimes and shifting empowerment “from paperwork to action.”

Started in 2013 across six districts, the dal now operates in every district of the state. The Department of Women and Child Development said the extension recognises how the initiative has turned women into “society’s guardians” without uniforms or formal policing powers.

“If you spot a group of women in villages and city streets of Madhya Pradesh, some adjusting their saree pallus and others carrying college bags, they are not mere passers-by. They are members of the state’s Shaurya Dal,” the department said in a statement on Tuesday.

Members aged 15 to 45 intervene in early signs of domestic violence, child marriage, and suspected human trafficking. The government said the dal’s key strength is prevention through community counselling, which settles disputes before police or courts get involved. It added that the approach has reduced the burden on law enforcement and helped stop crimes at the source.

The network now includes 7.64 lakh young women from schools and colleges and 14.88 lakh homemakers and elderly women. The state said the mix of “youthful zeal and seasoned experience” has been critical in challenging regressive mindsets across tribal belts and urban wards.

“The Shaurya Dal has transformed the concept of empowerment from paperwork into a tangible reality,” the state government said.

Beyond protection, the dal has become a platform for asserting rights, officials said. Women in the network are now pushing for equal access to health, nutrition, education, employment, and social security, rather than remaining limited to government schemes.

“The Shaurya Model has proven that true women’s empowerment is achieved when the reins of change are placed directly in the hands of women themselves,” the government said, calling it an example for the entire nation.

–IANS

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