26 June,2026 03:36 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. File Pic
The Maharashtra Cabinet has approved the draft Maharashtra Women Farmers Empowerment Bill, 2026, which seeks to provide legal recognition to women engaged in agriculture regardless of land ownership, enabling them to access government welfare schemes, institutional credit and other agricultural benefits.
The proposed legislation, cleared by the Cabinet on Thursday, will be introduced during the ongoing Monsoon Session of the Maharashtra Legislature.
The bill aims to address the long-standing exclusion of women involved in agriculture and allied sectors, particularly those who do not own agricultural land but contribute significantly to farming activities.
A key feature of the proposed legislation is the introduction of a "women farmer certificate", which will serve as an official identity document for eligible beneficiaries.
The certificate is intended to enable women farmers to access government welfare schemes, subsidies, institutional finance, agricultural extension services and market support.
The proposed law recognises that many women actively participate in agricultural work despite lacking legal ownership of farmland, making them ineligible for several existing government benefits.
The draft legislation proposes a broader definition of both "agriculture" and "farmer" to cover a wider range of occupations connected to the rural economy.
Besides conventional farming, the expanded definition includes allied sectors such as dairy farming, fisheries, poultry, animal husbandry, sericulture, apiculture and the collection of minor forest produce.
The bill also proposes extending recognition to tenant farmers, sharecroppers, agricultural labourers and seasonal migrant workers engaged in farming-related activities.
The objective is to ensure that women working across various agricultural occupations receive formal recognition and become eligible for government assistance.
According to the proposal, the process for issuing the women farmer certificate will involve gram sabhas in rural areas and urban local bodies in urban regions.
Applicants whose requests are rejected will have access to an appeal mechanism.
The draft legislation also proposes the creation of a Maharashtra State Women Farmers' Fund to support welfare initiatives and the development of a digital database of women farmers integrated with other government databases.
Officials said the database is expected to improve the delivery and monitoring of welfare schemes.
To facilitate implementation, the government plans to appoint Women Farmer Support Officers at the district and taluka levels from among existing government officials.
These officers will assist women in obtaining certificates, accessing government schemes, securing institutional support and adopting improved agricultural practices.
The proposed legislation also envisages a three-tier institutional framework comprising a Governing Council, a State-Level Monitoring Committee and a Women Farmers' Empowerment Cell to oversee policy implementation and monitor the effectiveness of the programme.
The draft bill was prepared following a series of consultations with agricultural experts, legal professionals and stakeholders.
The consultations were held in Pune, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Nagpur before the draft was finalised earlier this month.
If enacted, the legislation is expected to provide legal recognition to thousands of women engaged in agriculture and allied sectors across Maharashtra, expanding their access to government welfare programmes and strengthening their participation in the state's agricultural economy.
(With inputs from PTI)
