Women Farmers To Get Legal Identity As Maharashtra Tables Empowerment Bill In Assembly

The Maharashtra Women Farmers Empowerment Bill, 2026 was introduced in the state legislative assembly on Wednesday, aiming to provide legal recognition and institutional support to women engaged in agriculture and allied activities, irrespective of land ownership.

The Bill was introduced by Agriculture Minister Dattatray Bharne , who said the legislation is intended to address the long-standing exclusion of women farmers from official records, policy frameworks, and welfare delivery systems.

A key provision of the Bill is the creation of a comprehensive database of women farmers , along with a dedicated state-level fund to support their economic empowerment and livelihood security. The government stated that the initiative will ensure women across farming and allied sectors gain access to welfare schemes, institutional credit, subsidies, agricultural extension services, and market support .

The Bill expands the definition of both “farmer” and “agriculture” to ensure broader inclusion. It covers not only landowners but also tenant farmers, sharecroppers, agricultural labourers, and seasonal migrant workers engaged in farming. It also formally recognises women working in allied activities such as dairy, fisheries, poultry, animal husbandry, sericulture, apiculture, and collection of minor forest produce .

Bharne said the systemic non-recognition of women farmers has led to multiple layers of exclusion and discrimination, and the Bill seeks to correct this through formal identity-based recognition and targeted institutional support.

A central feature of the legislation is the introduction of a “Woman Farmer Certificate” , which will act as an official identity document enabling women to access government schemes, subsidies, institutional finance, and agricultural markets. The certification process will be carried out through Gram Sabhas or urban local bodies , with an appeal mechanism for rejected applications to ensure transparency.

To strengthen implementation, the Bill proposes the establishment of a Maharashtra State Women Farmers Fund and the appointment of Women Farmer Support Officers at district and taluka levels. These officers will assist women in obtaining certification, accessing schemes, and adopting improved agricultural practices.

The Bill also lays out a three-tier governance structure comprising a Governing Council, a State-Level Monitoring Committee, and a Women Farmers’ Empowerment Cell , which will oversee coordination, implementation, and monitoring of the programme across the state.

In comparison, the Telugu states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana already support women farmers through scheme-based welfare systems and subsidy programmes , including initiatives like Rythu Bharosa and Annadata Sukhibhava in Andhra Pradesh and Rythu Bharosa with subsidised mechanisation support in Telangana . However, unlike Maharashtra’s proposed legislation, both states currently lack a dedicated legal framework or certification system recognising women farmers irrespective of land ownership.

Overall, the legislation seeks to move beyond welfare-based inclusion towards formal legal recognition and institutional empowerment of women farmers in Maharashtra.