Originally published on: https://www.themorning.lk/the-land-development-ordinance-amendment-bill-granting-women-the-equal-right-to-become-landless/?fbclid=IwAR3OUN5sOMc40UBGNCSujzWNsj-Kl8VaHu6T3WbEBse-UHuhQzEjyeugsdg JANUARY 8, 2022 By Swasthika Arulingam On 8 March 2021, Women’s Day, farmers in Polonnaruwa commenced a continuous satyagraha to demand solutions to the debt crisis plaguing farmers. Debt has depleted women of their moveable assets, including their savings. However, even the most indebted women have secure legal possession of their permits or grant lands due to strict conditions against mortgaging State land. The conditions attached to ownership of State land are found in the Land Development Ordinance (LDO). Enacted in 1935, the LDO sets out…