Maharashtra forms board for transgender welfare

After Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra on Thursday became the second State to announce formation of the board

CHENNAI: 30/06/2013: Transgenders during a procession stating their demands in Chennai, Recommending `transgender' to be declared as the third gender with the individual having the right to choose gender, an expert committee has asked the government to prepare a law to prevent discrimination and atrocities against transgender people. Importantly, the National Crime Records Bureau has been asked to collect and compile statistics of crime against transgender persons, and cases registered against them. Photo: V. Ganesan.

While an expert committee that went into the issues faced by transgender people submitted its report in January, only two States have announced formation of a welfare Board for them or made any commitment to providing them benefits.

After Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra on Thursday became the second State to announce formation of the Board, Laxmi Narayan Tripathi, who was on the committee, said.

Ms. Tripathi of Astitva, an organisation dealing with transgender issues, told The Hindu on the phone that Maharashtra was the first State to have a complete study done on the community and announce welfare schemes recommended by the Supreme Court. While the States had to formulate schemes for the transgender community, a national policy was still awaited.

At a recent review of the Social Justice Department in New Delhi, the States were asked to submit comments on finalising the modalities for setting up the welfare Boards. Several issues faced by transgender people, such as discrimination and registration, were flagged. An official said they remained nobody’s priority, and the States were asked to do registrations and surveys of them from the district level.

The Supreme Court, in a judgment on April 15, said that recognising the third gender would help transgender people enjoy human rights, which they were largely deprived of. The court said the committee’s recommendations could be examined based on a legal declaration made in its judgment and implemented within six months.

The 26 recommendations included one for an umbrella scheme and a national policy on transgender people. A State-level authority should certify a person as transgender, and change of gender should be recorded on the birth certificate of a person after the age of 18. Rape and trauma centres should be set up for transgender people, a section added to the Indian Penal Code to deal with cases of sexual assault on them and records of crimes against them compiled. Workplace sexual harassment policies should be made transgender-inclusive.

The Union Ministries and the State governments were being consulted on their views on the recommendations. An inter-ministerial committee has been set up to ensure preparation of time-bound action plans.