What is the state of Chhattisgarh for transgender persons?

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In Chhattisgarh, eleven departments i.e. Health, Higher Education, Women & Child Development, Social Welfare, Technical Education, School Education, Home, Panchayat and Rural Development, Urban Development, Public Relations and General Administration have announced schemes or activities specifically for the community. Schools from class 8-10 have introduced chapters on what it means to be transgender in their curriculum, so as to sensitise …

What is the state of Odisha doing for transgender persons?

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Odisha has issued BPL cards and free housing schemes; provided 100 days of paid work annually. Transgender people are entitles to 5kg of food grains under India’s National Food Security Act. It also offers pensions and loans to start up businesses. 

What is the state of Karnataka doing for transgender persons?

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Akkai Padmashali’s organisation ‘Ondede’ has joined hands with the Election Commission (EC) in conducting awareness programs for the transgender community. She says, “There are more than one lakh transgenders in the state and in this elections, more than 10,000 of them would be participating. We hope that this number increases in the coming years.” Karnataka also offers a pension scheme for …

What is the state of Kerala doing for transgender persons?

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Both Cochin and Trivandrum have welfare boards since 2017. They also included trans men, but their schemes are still in their initial phases. The state of Kerala also formed a state Transgender Cell for skilling and training; issues ID cards by a committee headed by the District Collector. This committee includes members from the community, The District Health Officer, the …

What is the state of Tamil Nadu doing for transgender persons?

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Tamil Nadu is the first state in India to implement a transgender welfare board in 2008. They are called Aravani Welfare boards. However, it does not recognise trans men and a physical examination is required for the issue of ID cards. The state of Tamil Nadu offers free registration of lands and ration cards; soft loans to incentivise the establishment …

Are there any achievers among the trans community in India?

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Yes. Despite this tumultuous legal scenario, there are trans people trailblazing and lending visibility in several walks of life in contemporary India. Lalit Salve from Maharashtra is a constable and trans man who fought for leave for his surgery. K Prithika Yashini from Tamil Nadu, is the first transwoman sub inspector in India. Swati Baruah is Assam’s first transgender Lokpal judge. Sathyasri Sharmila …

What is the significance of Section 377?

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In a landmark judgment on September 6, 2018, the Supreme Court read down Section 377 as a law that violated the dignity and privacy of the LGBTQ community. Among others, trans activists such as Akkai Padmashali and Uma Umesh petitioned against it, and The Chief Justice of India Deepak Misra pronounced Section 377 as “irrational, indefensible and manifestly arbitrary”. It …

What is The Right to Privacy Judgment?

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In August 2017, the Supreme Court concluded that the right to one’s sexual orientation is at the core of the fundamental rights outlined in Articles 14, 15 and 21 of the Constitution. Kothari (2017) writes that sexual orientation rights aren’t limited to LGB groups but inextricably linked to transgender and intersex persons as well. The Court also held that “The …

What is the Transgender Protection of Rights Bill?

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Following the NALSA judgment, there have been several versions of the bill proposed. The 2014 version was introduced by Tiruchi Siva, a Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam Rajya Sabha MP. It was passed in the Rajya Sabha, but it wasn’t introduced in the Lok Sabha. The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment then drafted another version of the Bill in 2015. Many …