In a bid to address the imbalance, Rajasthan and other states now offer lower rate mortgages and cheaper registration when a property is registered in the name of a woman.

“Haq tyag is a tradition, and it is voluntary,” said Rajendra Singh Shekhawat, a joint secretary in the state government.

“In some cases, it may not be voluntary. But how can we check if the woman is signing willingly or not? That is why we have laws that encourage property ownership by women,” he said.

Across India, only 13 per cent of farmland is owned by women, according to census data.
Amendments in 2005 to the Hindu Succession Act, which governs matters of inheritance among Hindus who make up about 80 per cent of India’s population, made women’s inheritance rights equal to those of men.
Yet some state laws run contrary to the legislation, and in states such as Rajasthan, women are made to forgo their claims.

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