The Government's commitment to empower women farmers and improve agriculture with adoption of new techniques and technology could be seen in a number of measures. The State government has been working intensively on increasing the female workforce in the State's agricultural sector. With this goal, the government has taken a new initiative towards the empowerment of women farmers. Under this initiative, the women SHGs are being provided with Mini-Tractor and Power-Trailers. SHGs of different districts have been provided with Mini Tractors and Power Trailers. This initiative from the government is not only empowering women farmers but it’s also transforming the entire agriculture system across the State. Women members of SHGs working in the farm fields, using modern technologies is becoming a common sight.
For the FY 2020-21, the government has allocated a budget for 380 Mini tractor and 94 Power trailers which will be distributed across 24 districts. Till now, 57 Mini-Tractors and Power-Trailers have been distributed among SHGs of 7 districts. Among these, Gumla with 16 tractor distributions tops the list whereas 10 tractors were distributed in Lohardaga, 9 in Ranchi, 8 in Ramgarh, 6 in Giridih and 4 each in Dhanbad & Khunti districts.
Intending to create a sustainable environment for this initiative, the government is providing training to the members of SHGs. The women members of SHGs are being trained for the operation of mini-tractor and Power-Trailers. 90 per cent of the cost of these machines is borne by the government and the remaining 10 per cent is being paid by the Women SHGs. Soon the government will also start distributing other modern agricultural equipment to SHGs. It is aimed that the introduction of new and modern equipment will augment the active participation of female members of the society in agriculture, leading to a prosperous rural economy and boost the agricultural economy at large.
“The government is running multiple schemes in the field of agriculture. Through schemes like Agriculture Machinery Promotion Scheme, the government aims to ensure the prosperity and financial freedom of the state's women farmers,” said Nancy Sahay, CEO, JSLPS.