12 June,2026 11:08 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
CM Devendra Fadnavis attended a presentation on Women Farmers Empowerment Bill, at his official residence Varsha in Mumbai on Friday. PIC/X
The Maharashtra government will introduce the Maharashtra Women Farmers Empowerment Bill, 2026 in the Monsoon Session of the state legislature to grant legal recognition to women farmers as independent farmers.
During a presentation on the Women Farmers Empowerment Bill held at his official residence, Varsha in Mumbai on Friday, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis directed officials to prepare a comprehensive policy for safeguarding the rights of women farmers and ensuring their holistic empowerment.
Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Ajit Pawar, Agriculture Minister Dattatray Bharane, and Minister of State for Agriculture Ashish Jaiswal participated in the meeting through video-conferencing.
Fadnavis pointed out that women account for more than 81 per cent of the participation in Maharashtra's agricultural sector. However, most agricultural policies and government schemes remain male-centric. As land ownership is often a prerequisite for availing benefits under various schemes, a large number of women farmers are excluded from these benefits.
He noted that women cultivating family or community-owned land as well as those engaged in allied activities such as fisheries, livestock rearing, poultry farming, and collection of forest produce are often not recognised as farmers.
The proposed legislation aims to provide statutory recognition to women engaged in agriculture as "farmers", establish institutional mechanisms for their welfare, and ensure access to credit, technology, markets and other essential services.
Fadnavis directed that all suggestions received should be incorporated in the final draft of the Bill.
He emphasised that apart from conventional farming, the Bill should cover allied activities, including 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, he directed.
The Maharashtra Chief Minister stressed the need for a detailed study to create an effective digital system through which women farmers can easily 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, he said.
Fadnavis emphasised the need to examine the establishment of a dedicated "Maharashtra State Women Farmers Fund" for the empowerment of women farmers along with effective implementation mechanisms. A strong institutional framework should be created at the district, taluka and village levels, he stated and also suggested the constitution of a state-level monitoring committee headed by the chief secretary 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," said Fadnavis.
The presentation on the Women Farmers Empowerment Bill was made by Agriculture Department Secretary Parimal Singh.
The meeting was attended by senior officials including Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister Lokesh Chandra, Principal Secretary Dr Shrikar Pardeshi, Additional Chief Secretary (Finance) OP Gupta, along with representatives from the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation and Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy.
