Sirmaur, March 8 -- In a significant initiative on International Women's Day, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu distributed 29 individual forest rights pattas under the Forest Rights Act (FRA) to beneficiary families in Sirmaur district on Sunday.
In accordance with the provisions of the Act, the pattas were issued in the joint names of both husband and wife, recognising women's equal rights and participation within the family and community. Women beneficiaries themselves attended the programme and received the land titles, symbolising a step towards empowerment and social recognition.
The beneficiaries largely belong to landless and marginal farming families who have been dependent on forest land for their livelihood...