NEW DELHI: Twelve Indian states, including Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, have formed the Transgender Welfare Board but the capital still lacks one. In June, designated the ‘Pride Month’ across the world to celebrate sexual minorities, many members of the transgender community are expressing disappointment at the lack of attention given to the trans community in Delhi.
The state welfare boards are meant to provide income assistance, housing, education, employment and healthcare to transgender people. In response to a notice issued by the National Human Rights Commission, the Delhi social welfare department had once claimed to have accorded approval to the constitution of the transgender welfare board in the city and it was being processed for notification. The expectation that the board would be set up soon hasn’t materialised.
Speaking to TOI, a social welfare official said that the Union home ministry has been requested to confer the power to notify such a board to the lieutenant governor under the Transgender Persons (Protection of Right Act, 2019. When asked about the delay in setting up the board, the official added, “We drafted the Transgender (Protection of Rights), Delhi, Rules, which was last year sent to the home ministry for approval. However, no response has come for several months, causing the delay in its notification.”
In March, the Delhi Commission for Women had also sent its recommendations to the Centre and Delhi government for the creation of a Transgender Welfare Board.
Rudrani Chhetri, founder of Mitra Foundation and transgender activist, said, “While the welfare board has been set up in states like Bihar and Tamil Naidu, it is unfortunate that it is absent in the capital. The Transgender (Protection of Rights) Act mandates state boards, but it seems the laws are only on paper.”
In 2021, the Union social justice ministry initiated 13 shelters for transgenders known as “Garima Greh”. The homes were set up under the SMILE (Support for Marginalised Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise) scheme in accordance with The Transgender Rights Act. As per the guidelines, each Garima Greh is to be granted Rs 36.5 lakh each year.
TOI went to Delhi’s Garima Greh to find the shelter in a run-down condition. Bella Sharma, programme manager at the home, said that lack of funds was a big problem. “The landlord has asked us to empty the shelter home several times because we are unable to pay the rent. We have to take loans to pay the rent and run the shelter,” said Sharma.
Sharma added “On paper, I am employed under the SMILE scheme as the project manager. But in reality, I have not received any salary for the last several months. So, consider me unemployed actually.” She lamented that she was forced to do sex work during the Covid lockdown to survive. She feared that if the grant of funds for the shelter home got further delayed, she would again be forced to indulge in commercial sex.
Courtesy : TOI
Note: This news piece was originally published in timesofindia.com and used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes exclusively for Human Rights
