HYDERABAD: From across the districts of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, over 50 farmers gathered in the city on Thursday to discuss the rights of women farmers and the challenges they face in their daily lives. Centre of World Solidarity (CWS) conducted a workshop in which they, along with 40 support group NGO volunteers, from across 18 districts in the two States participated.
Demanding better government policies for themselves, these women wanted the Government of India to give them recognition as farmers and the same benefits as their male counterparts.
One of the major issues discussed at the workshop was the Central Government’s lapse in recognising them as farmers, which in-turn meant no access to Kisan credit cards, land holdings in their names, or special benefits under the NREGA schemes that any other male farmer would get.
“Take any land, for instance. There needs to be both the name of the wife and husband as equal shareholders of the land, even if it is just half an acre. That way, the woman of the house can retain the land as it is under her name. Most of the times the land is seized by higher officials and the entire family is brought to the roads” said Pummela Narasamma, one of the many women farmers from Siddipet district.