Early Times Report
LUCKNOW, Sept 30: Under the leadership of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Mission Shakti 5.0 is a campaign dedicated to strengthening the safety, dignity, and self-reliance of women in Uttar Pradesh, and it is advancing with renewed vigour. Embodying the very spirit of this initiative is Jyoti Singh of Varanasi, who has become a symbol of women's empowerment through her dedication to martial arts and self-defence training. By empowering lakhs of girls and women, she has emerged as an inspiration in the field of women's safety. Launched on September 20 as a priority initiative, Mission Shakti 5.0 aligns with the Chief Minister's vision of a grassroots revolution in women's empowerment. Women like Jyoti are bringing this vision to life-transforming safety into self-reliance and awareness into action.
Jyoti's association with the Department of Women and Child Development under Mission Shakti has given her journey a new direction. After earning her black belt in 2012 at Jhansi, she began training girls in self-defence. Her defining moment, however, came in 2020 with the first phase of Mission Shakti, which elevated her work to a larger platform. Today, as a third-degree black belt holder and founder of the Manav Academy of Martial Arts, Jyoti continues to empower lakhs of children and women with confidence, discipline, and resilience. For Jyoti, the core values of Mission Shakti 5.0-safety, respect, and self-reliance-are personal guiding principles. She emphasizes that under the campaign, women and girls across Uttar Pradesh have gained new confidence, awareness of their rights, and the courage to safeguard themselves. For her, self-defence is not just a skill, but a way of life.
Her achievements in sports reflect this commitment. Jyoti has won the 24th, 25th, 26th, and 27th National Championships consecutively, along with two gold medals at the All India University Games in 2018 and 2019. She was honored as Best Coach by the Manav Vandansevi of Martial Arts for four consecutive years (2020-2024) and recognized as a certified coach by the Karate Association of India in 2023. In 2025, she reached another milestone by achieving the Third Dan Black Belt. These laurels not only mark her personal excellence but also encourage thousands of girls to step forward in sports and self-defence, with over 1.5 lakh girls now participating in sports competitions at the assembly level under Mission Shakti 5.0.
Jyoti's contributions have been widely recognized. In 2019, she was honoured by Governor Anandiben Patel of Uttar Pradesh, and that same year, she received the Best Player of the Year award from Manav Vandansevi of the martial arts. In 2024, Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapeeth awarded her a citation, and the Ministry of Women and Child Development honoured her for her efforts in self-defence training.
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