Centre considering legislation for women farmersâ empowerment, says PM-EAC Chairman
The Union government is considering a separate legislation to protect the rights of women farmers, on the lines of the Maharashtra Women Farmers Empowerment Act
The Union government is considering a separate legislation to protect the rights of women farmers, on the lines of the Maharashtra Women Farmers Empowerment Act, 2026, S. Mahendra Dev, Chairman of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, said in Chennai on Friday (August 7, 2026). Speaking at the inauguration of a conference on âBuilding Gender-just Food, Land, and Water Systemsâ at the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF), Professor Dev described the Maharashtra law as a landmark legislation and said other States could draw inspiration from it.
âThe Centre is also discussing something similar,â he said. Highlighting the need to place women at the centre of agrifood systems, he said agriculture should shift from being production-centric to income-centric. This, he said, could be achieved through crop diversification, better post-harvest marketing, food and agro-processing, and institutional support to enhance farmersâ incomes. Aditi Sunil Tatkare, Maharashtra Minister for Women and Child Development, said the legislation reflected the governmentâs commitment to recognising women farmers through policy measures. She said the Bill received support across party lines, when it was introduced in the Assembly.
âIt was an optimistic moment. Implementation will begin this year,â she said, adding that women farmers should also be equipped with financial and digital literacy. The ongoing Census exercise should capture the contribution of women, particularly their unpaid household work, C. Chandramouli, former IAS officer and member of the MSSRF Board of Trustees, said. He urged enumerators to ensure the collection of gender-disaggregated data, cautioning that gender-blind laws could have far-reaching consequences. Soumya Swaminathan, Chairperson of MSSRF, said the Foundationâs programmes are built around the three pillars of poverty reduction, gender equity and sustainability.
Noting that 2026 has been designated the UN International Year of the Woman Farmer, she said she was pleased that the legislation, first proposed by M.S. Swaminathan in 2011, had finally become a reality. The Foundation also released its Annual Report for 2025-26.
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