2nd Jun 2019 11:06:PM Editorials
Eastern Sentinel Arunachal News

Last week’s orientation programme for women farmers under Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana(MKSP) at Ziro was arranged with the objective of providing them the much needed platform for placing their queries & clarifications directly to the officials of agri-allied departments and spreading awareness about the essentials of the scheme. Although this workshop seems a routine official chore, its real significance lies in the fact that it is an ingenious approach to reach out straight to the women agriculture workforce of the state and make them aware about  the various agri-welfare schemes devised exclusively for their progress. Thus, in  broader context it can be viewed as an example of social engineering with a larger aim of women empowerment.

Studies have shown that rural women form the most productive work force in economies of developing nations, which is also true for India. This is hugely significant in context of Indian agriculture, which still remains the single largest production endeavour of the country, contributing significantly to GDP. More than 80% of  rural women are engaged in agriculture activities for their livelihoods  and they actually comprise more than 30% of total agricultural labour force of the country. According to National Sample Survey Office reports of last few years, nearly 50% of total women agricultural workforce  are self-employed farmers and about 18% of the farm families are reported to be headed by women. But in reality majority of women in rural India can be considered as ‘farmers’ in some sense, since they work as agricultural labourers or unpaid workers in family farm enterprises or combination of both, underscoring the fact that agriculture in the country has been a female activity for long and is increasingly becoming so.

But in spite of this huge representation in almost every layer of the country’s agriculture, women were generally not able to access extension services and production assets like seed, water, credit, subsidy etc. due to various reasons, thus remaining deprived from the benefits of a host of agriculture welfare schemes. And as an attempt to improve their status, particularly economic, MKSP was introduced during 2010-11 budget, as a sub-component of National Rural Livelihood Mission. But the most assuring aspect of the scheme lies in the fact that it recognizes the identity of ‘Mahila’ as ‘Kisan’ and strives to give them, including the poorest and vulnerable, the desired empowerment in the broad domain of Indian agriculture, which still remains the backbone of the economy.

MKSP is enormously significant for Arunachal women farmers since it has those essential rearming components that can aptly supplement their gruelling hard work and ensure vital additions to their financial security. It would be most encouraging if it makes more inroads to the remotest corners of the state in a time-bound manner. 


Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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