The Karnataka State Women Development Corporation (KSWDC) has come out with different welfare measure programmes for transgenders, who remain neglected and a proposal has been submitted to the government for taking up group housing scheme exclusively for the transgender in the state.
Chairperson of the KSWDC Vasanti Shivanna told presspersons in Kalaburagi on Wednesday that the KSWDC proposes to take up several welfare measures to help the transgender and the sex workers and bring them back to the mainstream of the society.
She said that the KSWDC has taken a decision to convert Rs. 20,000 as financial assistance with 50 per cent subsidy to the transgender to enable them to take up income generating activities as a grant with immediate effect. As per the data available with the KSWDC there were around 24,000 transgender population in the state, but only 10,000 of them have the voting right and the KSWDC would strive to extend voting rights to all the transgender.
Referring to the condition of the women population in the state, Ms. Shivanna said that out of the total 3 crore women population in the state, more than 50 per cent were living below the poverty line and the KSWDC now proposes to take up various training programmes in different areas including driving, nursing, computers, and others.
To a question, Ms. Shivanna said that the KSWDC has been earmarked a sum of Rs. 63 crore for taking up different works. The State government has also been moved to increase the financial assistance to the rehabilitated ‘devadasis’ to construct homes from Rs. 1.20 lakh to Rs. 1.50 lakhs and the working capital provided to the Stree Shakti groups and self-help groups has been raised from the existing Rs 1 lakh to Rs 2 lakh.
