Session 9. 7.

Effective Commons management fosters the sustainability and resilience of resources that are accessible to a community. Commons, such as forests, water bodies, and grazing land, support the livelihood of poor and marginalized people by providing employment and income. Fifteen Percent of the total geographical area of India belongs to Commons. Though, by definition, everyone has access to Commons, gender, caste, religion, and household categories play a crucial role in accessing these resources. Women often face discrimination in accessing these resources due to their gender. Only 13.87 % of operational landholders are female in India. Although there was evidence that women's participation improved environmental resources, other research revealed that women only sometimes benefit from effective conservation initiatives, and excluding women can worsen inequality. In some communities of India, women handle over 70% of the forest resources. Despite that, women's participation in policymaking is very low, and it is essential to focus on the importance of their involvement in sustainable commons management. Commons have evolved over the years during environmental uncertainties. However, due to privatization, encroachment, land reforms, and climate change, commons have been depleted. From 1993 to 1998, Commons in India have been depleted by 1.9 percent. Therefore, it is crucial to protect the existing resources from further depletion. The main objective of this paper is to emphasize sustainable commons management from a gender perspective using the existing literature on India. This study will further assist policymakers on three sustainable development goals: 'No poverty,' 'Gender equality,' and 'Reduced inequality.'

Traditional rural institutions in India which are intertwined with a hierarchical social order of caste in the governance of the affairs of civil, political and economic structure of the village, are instrumental in the governance of commons including land, water, grazing land, and village forests. Caste permeats a structure of hierarchy in terms of the accumulation of resources so as the traditional governance of commons and their access. Commons and their governance in Global south in general and in India particularly is deeply intertwined with the institution of caste . The historical evolution of access and control over the productive resources, in its relationship with land had dis-entitled marginalised groups (SC and ST ) from having any share of ownership, be it common or private. In this paper, through an in-depth village study in Telangana, India we unfold the rights, access and utilisation of commons, their transformation over a long period of time, and how caste plays a significant role in these contexts. We also analyse the at the arrival of new commons aimed at equalization of access to natural resources in contrast to their denial in the past. Such a process of equalization has positive effects in terms of enhanced agrarian productivity for the depressed castes (marginalised groups) reposing the need for a policy of commonization as a principle of equi-distributive and efficient policy.

Control over land and natural resources has recently become a subject of debate in India. There are numerous cases in different states which indicate that village common land are a prime target of land takeovers and are justified in the name of economic growth, urbanization and industrialization. States like Punjab are no exception to this syndrome and one witnesses drastic but silent transformation taking place in the rural areas of the region. Shamlat or the common lands, once an integral feature of almost every village is shrinking due to multiple reasons, prime being encroachment and illegal sale and in this, the villages near large cities are the worst hit. Such transformations have also affected the economically and socially vulnerable communities particularly Dalits and women. However, in the last few years,small and medium farmers and conspicuously women are in the forefront of agrarian struggle trying to reclaim the lost commons- the reserved Shamlat land on which they have rightful share legally. They have now started collective farming to withstand onslaughts of economic distress and address issues of livelihood. Based on insights from select villages in Sangrur district, the paper tries to understand the implications of declining common land on women from marginal communities and reflect on the dynamics of this ongoing land struggle . In doing so, it engages with issues of rights, equity justice, gender and caste associated with ‘common land in the region