Women Farmers Empowerment Bill Unanimously Passed In Maharashtra Assembly
Mumbai: In a major recognition of women in the agricultural sector, the Maharashtra Assembly on Thursday unanimously passed the Maharashtra Women Farmers Empowerment Bill, 2026. The law enables women farmers to avail of benefits that were previously available only to male farmers.
The Bill was introduced by the state agricultural minister, Datta Bharne, on Wednesday, and the ruling and opposition members supported the motion.
The Maharashtra Women Farmers Empowerment Bill, 2026, states that any woman resident of Maharashtra engaged in agriculture, irrespective of the nature of the land involved in crop cultivation, or engaged in animal husbandry, fisheries, poultry farming, and other agriculture-allied activities will be certified as a farmer.
A woman will be eligible to obtain a farmer's certificate even if the land record (7/12 extract) is not in her name. Bharne noted that currently, only 15 to 20 per cent of women have their names on land records (7/12 extracts). The minister added that the objective of the Bill is to grant an identity and rights to women working in the agricultural and allied sectors.
Its interpretation is not to transfer land ownership to women, he added. The Bill will enable women farmers to avail various benefits from the different agricultural schemes offered by the state and central governments.
Meanwhile, during the discussion on the Bill in the Assembly, some members expressed concerns about the potential misuse of the law. In reply to a question by Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) member Kailas Patil, Bharne clarified that certificates would not be issued to women from other states.
Jayant Patil, an NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) MLA, demanded that land be directly transferred in the name of women to foster their empowerment. While proposing that 50 per cent of the land currently held in a husband's name should be registered in the wife's name, Patil also sought clarification from the government regarding the terms and conditions for granting loans to women farmers.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Bhaskar Jadhav raised the issue of state recognition as a farmer, which requires the possession of at least half an acre of land. He questioned how the status of 'farmer' would be granted to women who do not own any land in their own names.
According to the 2010-11 census, Maharashtra represents about 15 per cent of all female main workers in India and nearly 19 per cent of rural female main cultivators. In 2011, female cultivators made up 41 per cent of the total main rural female workforce across all occupational categories. However, the Agricultural Census 2015-16 shows that only 15.47 per cent of landholdings in Maharashtra were owned by women, highlighting the limited and often marginal or small-sized nature of their landholdings.
The Bill was introduced by the state agricultural minister, Datta Bharne, on Wednesday, and the ruling and opposition members supported the motion.
The Maharashtra Women Farmers Empowerment Bill, 2026, states that any woman resident of Maharashtra engaged in agriculture, irrespective of the nature of the land involved in crop cultivation, or engaged in animal husbandry, fisheries, poultry farming, and other agriculture-allied activities will be certified as a farmer.
A woman will be eligible to obtain a farmer's certificate even if the land record (7/12 extract) is not in her name. Bharne noted that currently, only 15 to 20 per cent of women have their names on land records (7/12 extracts). The minister added that the objective of the Bill is to grant an identity and rights to women working in the agricultural and allied sectors.
Its interpretation is not to transfer land ownership to women, he added. The Bill will enable women farmers to avail various benefits from the different agricultural schemes offered by the state and central governments.
Meanwhile, during the discussion on the Bill in the Assembly, some members expressed concerns about the potential misuse of the law. In reply to a question by Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) member Kailas Patil, Bharne clarified that certificates would not be issued to women from other states.
Jayant Patil, an NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) MLA, demanded that land be directly transferred in the name of women to foster their empowerment. While proposing that 50 per cent of the land currently held in a husband's name should be registered in the wife's name, Patil also sought clarification from the government regarding the terms and conditions for granting loans to women farmers.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Bhaskar Jadhav raised the issue of state recognition as a farmer, which requires the possession of at least half an acre of land. He questioned how the status of 'farmer' would be granted to women who do not own any land in their own names.
According to the 2010-11 census, Maharashtra represents about 15 per cent of all female main workers in India and nearly 19 per cent of rural female main cultivators. In 2011, female cultivators made up 41 per cent of the total main rural female workforce across all occupational categories. However, the Agricultural Census 2015-16 shows that only 15.47 per cent of landholdings in Maharashtra were owned by women, highlighting the limited and often marginal or small-sized nature of their landholdings.