Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): After leaving it in limbo for three years, the Social Justice Department has finally started revamping the draft of transgender policy, which was prepared in 2021.
The draft of the policy, which aims to bring the transgender community members into the mainstream of the society, is being reworked to make it more effective. The department organised workshops and held conversations with stakeholders and their suggestions have been incorporated in the draft policy.
It is learnt that there are around 9,900 transgender in the state. Transgender policy draft has been prepared with cooperation of Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institution of Good Governance and Policy Analysis, said an official of the department.
The draft policy envisages implementation of many radical suggestions to bring the transgender community into society’s mainstream. It recommends distribution of identity cards to transgender, to help them generate additional sources of income.
The policy aims for rehabilitation of transgender and help them generate additional sources of income. For instance, the educated transgender could be assigned typewriter work to help them make a decent living. Many other provisions have been also mulled upon to uplift their standard of living.
Policy Suggestion taken from transgender community
Principal Secretary of the Social Justice Department, Sonali Vayangankar said that preparing a policy for transgender is a part of the work plan and the help of Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institution of Good Governance and Policy Analysis has been taken in this regard. A senior officer of the institute said that a draft policy for transgender was prepared in 2021 itself but the policy could not be implemented so far.
For the last many months the implementation of policy is in limbo. While preparing the draft of State Transgender Policy 2021, the suggestions were taken from transgender community members.
Transgender demands child adoption
The transgender have demanded various rights like child adoption and their recognition as a single parent, marriage certificate to them, special education quota.
The transgender have demanded that there should be no discrimination in providing employment to them. Their other demands include right in property of their parents along with sex change operation arrangements in hospitals.
