A group of transgenders who had applied for ration cards on September 28 , were in for a pleasant surprise on Monday after the district administration distributed the cards just a week after they had applied for it.
“While we are usually made to run from pillar to post to obtain even basic documents and are often teased, the fact that we were given ration cards within a week without any trouble is extremely heartening. This is a document which is the basis of our identity and we are extremely pleased to have some basic form of identification now,” said Jansi Rani, a transgender and resident of Bibikulam, who received the ration card. Eight transgenders along with her received ration cards.
Express gratitude
Jansi Rani further said that they had not applied through any special channel and had submitted the required forms last week to the concerned officials.
“We would like to thank the district administration and Collector L. Subramanian for processing our request quickly,” she also added.
A transgender said that they hailed this as a step in the right direction as this would encourage more transgenders to come forward and apply for basic identity proof such as ration cards and Aadhar cards.
According to the draft electoral rolls released earlier this month, Madurai has 64 transgenders who are on the voters list.
An official said that on an average, they received about 60 to 70 petitions on weekly grievance day meetings from persons asking for ration cards which took time to process based on whether the persons had given all the valid information and so on.
