Himachal Pradesh-Adult daughter will also be considered as a separate unit in the ancestral property

With a view to promote gender equality, the state government has amended the 51-year-old Himachal Pradesh Land Holdings Ceiling Act, 1972. With this historic decision, now the adult daughter will also be considered as a separate unit in the ancestral property. The State Government has corrected the error by inserting the words in sub-section 4 of Section 4 of the existing Act. After this amendment, the daughter has been included as a separate entity like the son. Earlier, the Act provided for an additional 150 bighas of land as a separate unit for an adult son, while an adult daughter was denied this same right. On the initiative of Chief Minister Thakur Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, this amendment bill was presented in the state assembly on March 29, 2023 and it was passed on April 3, 2023, ensuring gender equality. With this, gender equality has been ensured by considering both son and daughter as independent units in ancestral property.

This bill paves the way to remove gender inequality as per the provisions of the Indian Constitution. Showing special interest in this subject, the Chief Minister took the initiative to introduce this amendment bill in the current budget session of the state assembly. Welcoming this step of the state government, all sections of the society have termed it as a positive initiative towards women empowerment in the state. Sukhu said that the state government has tried to provide relief to lakhs of families having daughters by making necessary amendments. He said that the purpose of this amendment is to ensure equal rights to daughters in land ownership of ancestral property by removing unconstitutional clauses promoting gender inequality.