The hill areas of the country especially the Himalayan and the Western Ghats Regions, were recognised as areas which required to be given special attention for restoration of ecological balance. In pursuance of the policy of accelerating the development of hill areas in the country and at the suggestion of the National Development Council (1972) the centrally sponsored Western Ghats Development Programme (WGDP) was introduced in 1974-75 for integrated developoment of Western Ghats Region.

The Hill Area Development Program (HADP) has been introduced by the Government of India to initiate socio economic development in the hill areas of India since the inception of the Fifth Five Year Plan. The main objective of this program is to ensure „sustainable‟ development of hill areas, keeping in view the basic needs of the hill people and generating ample livelihood options for the local community. With the progress of the Five Year plans, the focus has been shifting to preservation of biodiversity and rejuvenation of hill ecology.

This Resource book is a wealthy compilation of articles with succinct discussions on the issues of the poor around access to land and other common property resources. While it does not prescribe a particular approach, the book provides valuable discussion of the land tenure situations of certain Asian, African and Latin American countries as well as strategies and tools drawn from the experiences of people’s groups to gain access and better control of their resources.

In Asia, land issues affect women in ways that call for serious deliberation and action. Suffice it to say, the legitimate concerns of females transcend generations and geographical borders. Attaining a stable livelihood, meeting basic resource needs and having adequate housing are just some of the issues that affect women. There is, however, a pressing need to heed the woes of rural women in particular. The poor are swelling in numbers and the condition of poor rural women lies on the fringes of the global economic agenda.

This study was undertaken by the Rural Development Institute for the World Justice Project. The study reviews the formal and customary laws and practices governing the rights of women to inherit land in six South Asian countries (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka). The study includes an analysis of existing laws and customs and their impact on inheritance and land rights in all six countries. It also provides recommendations for how to design interventions that can attempt to improve women’s inheritance rights.