Mumbai, June 12 (IANS) The Maharashtra Women Farmers Empowerment Bill, 2026, will be introduced during the forthcoming Monsoon Session to provide legal recognition to women farmers as independent farmers in the state. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday directed officials to formulate a comprehensive policy to safeguard the rights of women farmers and promote their holistic empowerment. He was speaking at a presentation on the Women Farmers Empowerment Bill.

CM Fadnavis said women account for more than 81 per cent of participation in Maharashtra’s agricultural sector. However, most agricultural policies and government schemes remain male-centric. Since land ownership is often a prerequisite for availing benefits under agricultural schemes, a large number of women farmers are excluded. Women cultivating family- or community-owned land, as well as those engaged in allied activities such as fisheries, livestock rearing, poultry farming, and the collection of forest produce, are often not recognised as farmers. It is against this backdrop that the proposed legislation has been drafted.

The Chief Minister directed that all suggestions received be incorporated into the final draft of the Bill. The legislation should aim to provide statutory recognition to women engaged in agriculture as “farmers,” establish institutional mechanisms to support their welfare, and ensure access to credit, technology, markets, and other essential services.

He further stated that, in addition to conventional farming, the Bill should cover activities such as animal husbandry, dairy farming, poultry farming, beekeeping, fisheries, sericulture, horticulture, floriculture, mushroom cultivation, agroforestry and collection of forest produce. It should also include landless farmers, tenant farmers, agricultural labourers, pastoral workers and migrant agricultural workers.

A detailed study should be undertaken to establish an effective digital system through which women farmers can access state government loan schemes, agricultural subsidies, seeds, fertilisers, crop insurance, extension services, market facilities, transportation, storage infrastructure and social security schemes. The Bill should also provide for the creation of an independent digital database of women farmers, the CM said.

CM Fadnavis emphasised that the proposal should also examine the establishment of a dedicated “Maharashtra State Women Farmers Fund” to empower women farmers, along with mechanisms to effectively implement the legislation. A strong institutional framework should be created at the district, taluka and village levels.

He further suggested that a State-Level Monitoring Committee, headed by the Chief Secretary, be constituted to oversee the implementation of the law and regularly review its progress. The proposed legislation will be a significant step toward providing millions of women farmers in the state with an independent identity, rights and opportunities, while also setting a new benchmark for gender equality in the agricultural sector, he said.

–IANS

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