Chandigarh: In an important decision, the Punjab
government on Monday decided to amend laws to ensure equal rights
for women in land ownership and tenancy.
According to these amendments, adult daughters would be
entitled to permissible area in the same manner as adult sons
of a landowner under the Punjab land Reforms Act, 1972.
Besides, under the existing law, after the death of a
tenant only male descendents, mother or widow were entitled to
get tenancy rights, which was also found discriminatory
against women, the spokesman said.
In order to do away with this discrimination, the Cabinet
at its meeting here under the chairmanship of Chief Minister
Parkash Singh Badal, had also decided to approve the changes
in the Punjab Security of Land Tenure Act, 1953, and Pepsu
Tenancy and Agricultural Lands Act, 1955.
According to these, after the death of tenant, if he
leaves behind no male lineal descendents then a woman
descendent would also get the tenancy rights, the spokesman
said.
The state Cabinet, in its bid to empower women and to
make the land laws gender neutral, approved amendments to
certain provisions of the Punjab Land Reforms Act, 1972,
Punjab Security of Land Tenure Act, 1953 and Pepsu Tenancy and
Agricultural Land Act, 1955 which were found "discriminatory"
against women, an official spokesman said here.
PTI
