Sutapa Sanyal: Women & Child Development

A combination of courage, determination and grit are required to lead the police force of the largest state of India - Uttar Pradesh. While doing this, keeping focus on gender issues sometimes get relegated to the background. Sutapa Sanyal, who kept the focus on gender issues and led the state as its first woman IPS officer as DGP, took all the challenges head-on. Women empowerment has been the centerpiece of her work that has empowered over 175 million women and children under UP Police Mahila Samman Prakoshth in last 7 years. Her initiative Vikalp - India's first police web portal for reporting crimes against women resulted in 97% response rate; NavChetna training of law enforcement officers on gender equality; and Akshya self-defence and leadership training for girls, are but few examples of her impactful initiatives towards gender empowerment. It was under her guidance that child-friendly police stations and special juvenile police units were set up across the state.