By OUR STAFF REPORTER
Dehradun, 12 Mar: In a significant move, the Uttarakhand Government has decided to make suitable changes in the JICA project to provide its benefits to women farmers who do not come under its ambit.
“We have issued instructions to the department concerned to make necessary changes in the JICA project so that women can get all its benefits,” said a top state government official.
In the revenue records of the state government, women in the hill state are not considered as farmers due to the ongoing patriarchal system of society. Since most of the men migrate to the plains in search of jobs and other livelihood purposes, women do the jobs of farming on the small landholdings owned by their fathers and husbands.
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) provides financial assistance to India in different areas including the horticulture sector in Uttarakhand. Recently, JICA provided a loan for the improvement of urban water supply in the hill state. In the past, also, JICA had provided financial funds to the hill state for various horticulture projects.
During the tenure of former Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, the Uttarakhand Government had set an important precedent by passing a law that gives co-ownership rights to women in their husband’s ancestral property. The move was aimed to facilitate the women who are working in fields owned by their husbands or fathers, especially in the hilly areas of the state.
By amending the Uttarakhand Zamindari Abolition and Land Reforms Act, daughters would now get access to ownership on the land owned by their fathers. Similarly, a wife will also be the joint owner of the land of her husband. Earlier, in Uttarakhand, the land ownership rights were transferred to men in the family which were then passed on to their sons.
