The Ministry of Social Welfare and Nutritious Meal Programme Department will be coming out with a mobile application for transgenders to enrol themselves and avail the benefits of various government schemes.
Making the announcement in the Assembly on Wednesday, Social Welfare Minister V. Saroja said the mobile app would be developed at a cost of ₹10 lakh. The transgenders would have to enter their age, qualification and address to register themselves. Many transgenders, especially college students, do not come forward to avail of the benefits fearing social stigma or due to lack of awareness. Once they register on the app, they would have access to various programmes including funds for education and could benefit from them, she said.
The Minister also announced that every year, a State award would be conferred on a transgender who excelled in the chosen field. A slew of facilities for anganwadis including furniture and baby friendly toilets were also announced. A child information system would also be set up to monitor the quality of services and conduct periodical assessment of agencies working towards child protection services.
Among the announcements for the department for the welfare of differently-abled persons, the Minister said that a total of 23 shelter homes with skill training for mentally challenged persons above the age of 14 would be constructed at a cost of ₹2.55 crore. An additional 22 shelters would also be constructed across the State.
‘Meetings not held’
During the debate, DMK MLA P.K. Sekar Babu said that it has been years since the meeting of district level committees and board to monitor the welfare of differently abled has been held. “They have to meet to ensure the government schemes reach the beneficiaries,” he said. He also pointed out that the beggar rehabilitation centre in Tiruvallur district has been lying unused. “Every signal has a beggar now,” he said.
