Effective and independent land rights for women are imp: LG

New Delhi, Feb 24 (UNI) Delhi Lt Governor B L Joshi today said that effective and independent land rights for women are important on at least four counts -- welfare, efficiency, equality, and empowerment.

He expressed these views in a seminar on 'Women Rights in Ancestral Property and Testamentary Disposition' here.

In his address, the LG said women without independent financial resources were highly vulnerable to poverty and destitution on desertion, divorce or widowhood.

He said the roots of discrimination against women lay in the religious, cultural and social practices, which ultimately affected the whole development process of the country.

Mr Joshi said unless and until women's claims begin to be seen as socially legitimate, even if the laws were made fully gender-equal, parents who had a male bias were likely to use the right of making wills to disinherit daughters.

Expressing his views on the testamentary disposition of Women Rights in Ancestral Property, the LG observed that after the passage of 2005 Act, women were now absolute owners and did not need consent of their husbands while transferring 'stridhan'.

He said even a widow, with limited rights earlier, could now bequeath her whole stridhan.

Also present on the occasion were Supreme Court Judge Mr Justice K G Balakrishnan, Judges of Delhi High Court Manmohan Sarin and Vikramajit Sen, Chairperson of the National Commission for Women Girija Vyas and Chief Patron of the Lions Club International V K Verma.

UNI IP VD KN2055