Maharashtra Women Farmers Empowerment Bill, 2026 to Legally Recognise Women as Independent Farmers

Key facts

• The Maharashtra government will introduce the Maharashtra Women Farmers Empowerment Bill, 2026, to grant women engaged in agriculture independent legal recognition as farmers.
• The legislation aims to provide women farmers direct access to government schemes, institutional credit, subsidies, insurance, and social security benefits, noting that women constitute over 81 per cent of the state's agricultural workforce.
• The bill expands the definition of agriculture to include dairy farming, poultry, beekeeping, fisheries, sericulture, horticulture, floriculture, mushroom cultivation, agro-forestry, and forest produce collection.
• Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis directed officials to explore the creation of a Maharashtra State Women Farmers Fund and a digital system for distributing crop loans, seeds, and fertilisers.
• The state government plans to solarise 22,185 rural water supply schemes via the Maharashtra Energy Development Agency (MEDA), including 11,643 schemes under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM).