Special Bill for Women Farmers to be Presented in the Upcoming Session – Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Ajit Pawar

A State-level ‘Gender Resource Center’ to be established in Maharashtra on the lines of the Centre

Mumbai, March 2026 : Women have an extraordinary contribution in the agriculture sector of Maharashtra. Now agriculture is entering a new phase truly under the leadership of women. The State Government is committed to ensuring that women farmers receive their rights and respect, and a special bill will be presented in the upcoming session for their empowerment. A state-level ‘Gender Resource Center’ will also be established in Maharashtra on the lines of the Centre, which will help in resolving agricultural issues of women, expressed confidence Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Ajit Pawar.

On the occasion of International Women Farmers Year 2026 and International Women’s Day, a special discussion session on the topic “Empowerment of Women Farmers” was organized jointly by the Government of Maharashtra and the Maharashtra Legislature in the Central Hall of the Vidhan Bhavan. Women legislators from all parties and experts participated in the programme. Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Ajit Pawar was speaking at the event.

On this occasion, Legislative Council Chairman Prof. Ram Shinde, Assembly Speaker Adv. Rahul Narwekar, Legislative Council Deputy Chairperson Dr. Neelam Gorhe, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Agriculture Minister Dattatray Bharane, Environment Minister Pankaja Munde, Women and Child Development Minister Aditi Tatkare, Minister of State for Agriculture Adv. Ashish Jaiswal, MLA Monika Kajale, MLA Manjula Gavit, MLA Jyoti Gaikwad, Additional Chief Secretary of the Agriculture Department Vikaschandra Rastogi, Secretary of the Legislature Secretariat Jitendra Bhole, Founder of the M. S. Swaminathan Foundation Soumya Swaminathan and Co-founder Nitya Rao were present.

Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Ajit Pawar said that a new law will be introduced to protect the rights of women farmers. It will mainly include removing the difficulties faced due to the absence of women’s names on the 7/12 land records and maintaining separate statistical records of male and female farmers in agricultural data. Under the ‘Namo Drone Didi’ scheme, women will be given training as drone pilots. Women will also be encouraged to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) in agriculture. At least 30 percent benefits in all schemes of the Agriculture Department are reserved for women, and 18 lakh women are benefiting from the PM-Kisan scheme, she noted. Through initiatives like ‘Lakhpati Didi’ and ‘She Marts’, women will be provided access to the global market. The government is also considering special subsidies for animal husbandry, fisheries and beekeeping.

About 45 percent of students studying in agricultural universities are girls. Today’s woman is not only a farmer but is becoming an agri-entrepreneur and technology user. When women become empowered, only then will the state’s economy truly prosper. In Pune district, through the District Planning Committee, approval has been given for the purchase of drones with 75 percent subsidy, giving priority to women farmers, and there is a plan to implement this ‘Pune Pattern’ across the state as well, the Deputy Chief Minister said.

Need for Concrete Policies for Empowerment of Women Farmers – Deputy Chairperson Dr. Neelam Gorhe

The Central Government has announced a policy on gender equality in the National Agricultural Research and Education System in 2025. In the Fourth Women’s Policy of Maharashtra, the empowerment of women in agriculture has also been considered. Accordingly, there is a need to implement a concrete action programme in the state for the rights and empowerment of women farmers, said Legislative Council Deputy Chairperson Dr. Neelam Gorhe.

Dr. Gorhe said that in Maharashtra there has been large-scale migration from rural areas to cities. When men migrate to cities in search of employment, the entire responsibility of farming falls on the women who remain in the villages. As a result, women have become the heads of many families. Various studies show that about 80 percent of the contribution in agriculture comes from women. Renowned agricultural expert Dr. M. S. Swaminathan had introduced a private bill in the Rajya Sabha to recognize women as farmers. In this context, it is important that women receive actual recognition as farmers. In many families, the woman engaged in farming does not have her name on the 7/12 land record, which creates difficulties in providing benefits of various government schemes. She also requested positive action regarding issuing farmer certificates to women in families affected by farmer suicides.

She also said that efforts are being made to make the marriage registration process simpler and faster. Women farmers need recognition as farmers in order to obtain loans. Many times women are seen only as ‘cultivators’ and not as farmers. The definition of agriculture is broad and includes animal husbandry, forestry and fisheries. During the COVID period, when many farmers died, the state government provided free seeds up to three acres to single women farmers, she added.

Emphasis on Providing Support of New Technology to Women Farmers – Women and Child Development Minister Aditi Tatkare

While implementing various important schemes for women, it has been decided to take this year forward from the perspective of empowerment of women farmers. The Agriculture Department and Women and Child Development Department will work in coordination and focus on providing technological support to women in agriculture considering their growing contribution, said Women and Child Development Minister Aditi Tatkare.

Minister Tatkare said that last year in Ahilyanagar, through three percent reserved funds of the Planning Committee, agricultural equipment and materials were provided to 15,000 women. Considering the success of this initiative, implementing a similar programme across the state this year would be beneficial for women farmers.

In Nagpur, more than 30,000 women have established a credit society, through which women are receiving loans. Women farmers benefiting from the Chief Minister Majhi Ladki Bahin scheme will also be supported for loans, collective enterprises and agriculture-related businesses.

Women are Not Just ‘Homemakers’ but True ‘Entrepreneurs’ in Agriculture – Environment Minister Pankaja Munde

In our country, more than 81 percent of women are directly engaged in agriculture. Whether their names are on the 7/12 land record or not, women truly manage both the home and farming. Therefore, women should not be called only ‘homemakers’, but recognized as true entrepreneurs in agriculture, said Environment and Climate Change Minister Pankaja Munde, while praising women farmers.

Minister Munde said that a mother bears pain for nine months to give birth to a child, yet only the father’s name appears on paper. The state government’s decision to include the mother’s name is welcome. Women in rural areas should be encouraged to become entrepreneurs through animal husbandry, and greater opportunities should be provided to women in agriculture-related activities such as poultry farming, sericulture (silk industry), and beekeeping. Every stage of agriculture is completed through the hard work of women, and it is necessary to recognize this energy and strength of women power.

Agriculture Development Fund Should Be Established for Women Farmers – Nitya Rao

Due to climate change and economic challenges, migration of men towards cities is increasing. In such a situation, the entire structure of the rural economy and agriculture is being managed by women. Amendments should be made in irrigation and groundwater laws so that women can receive legal rights over water. A special ‘Agriculture Development Fund’ should be established to provide cold storage, solar dryers and modern machinery to women farmer producer companies (FPOs), demanded Nitya Rao of the M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation.

Women work in farming along with household responsibilities, childcare and animal husbandry; therefore they should be legally recognized as ‘farmers’. Even if they do not own land, women working in fields should be given a ‘Women Farmer Certificate’ so that they can avail benefits of government schemes. If the ‘Women Farmers’ Rights Bill’ presented by Dr. M. S. Swaminathan in the Rajya Sabha in 2011 is implemented, it will greatly increase women’s income and productivity, she expressed confidence.

The introductory remarks were made by Monika Kajale, Chairperson of the Women and Child Rights and Welfare Committee. MLA Jyoti Gaikwad and MLA Manjula Gavit also shared their views. On this occasion, women farmers who have done outstanding work in agriculture were felicitated: Bhumika Bharat Shirke (Konkan Division), Swati Arvind Shingade (Pune Division), Arundhati Sanjay Patil (Kolhapur Division), Vrindavani Anil Yadav (Latur Division), Gangutai Ankush Theng (Amravati), Rupalitai Shinde and Varshatai Chavan of the Marathwada–Varhad Milk Producers Union of Nagpur, Neha Rupesh Shete and Mayuri Jadhav of Ratnagiri.

The programme was anchored by Nilesh Madane. Ministers, Ministers of State, members of both Houses and officials were present at the event.