Women Farmers’ Rights: Centre Mulls Law Like Maharashtra’s Act
Why in the news
The Centre is thinking of a national statute for women farmers, based on the Maharashtra Women Farmers Empowerment Act, 2026, as stated in Chennai at an MSSRF conference on gender-just food, land and water systems.
Key facts
- Proposal: a separate central law protecting women farmers’ rights.
- Speaker: S. Mahendra Dev, Chairman, Economic Advisory Council to the PM.
- Only about 15.5% of operational farmland in Maharashtra is held by women.
Maharashtra model
| Element | Provision |
|---|---|
| Standing | First State law devoted to women farmers; passed unanimously by both Houses |
| Moved by | Agriculture Minister Dattatraya Bharane |
| Main tool | Woman Farmer Certificate, valid irrespective of land ownership |
| Bodies created | Women Farmers Database, State Fund for Women Farmers, Empowerment Cell and Council, State Monitoring Committee |
| Local role | Gram Panchayats identify eligible women and help certify them |
| Funding | Central and State grants, donations; recurring cost from State Consolidated Fund |
Core problem
- Records defined the landowner as the farmer, and land mostly stands in men’s names.
- Women doing sowing, harvesting and livestock work stayed legally invisible, so credit, subsidies, crop insurance and schemes bypassed them.
Exam angle
- Remember: 15.5% share, Woman Farmer Certificate and the bodies created.
- Linked themes: land rights, Kisan Credit Card access, SHG and Joint Liability Group linkage.
- Relevant for NABARD Grade A Phase II Paper II.