Not AvailableIn developing countries like India women are most silent participants in economic life and also an important work force in agriculture and allied fields. Their contribution in Indian agriculture is estimated to be 50-60 % (Anon, 1981). Besides being involved in household chores, they attend to arduous field operations like sowing, transplanting, weeding, interculturing, harvesting, threshing and agro-processing in crop production, fuel and fodder cutting, water fetching, cleaning of houses, cooking, child-rearing in household maintenance and dairying/animal husbandry in allied fields. The majority of these activities, which are full of drudgery have not been supported by the mechanical advantages of tool and appliances. Moreove...