Uttarakhand Cabinet approves formation of transgender welfare board

The board will work towards facilitating the access of the community to the welfare schemes of the government and will also review the existing social, educational and health schemes for them

The Uttarakhand Cabinet on Wednesday (December 12, 2024) cleared a proposal for the formation of the State Transgender Persons Welfare Board. The State will bring a policy to provide equal opportunity in employment to transgender persons.

According to an official, a survey will be conducted across Uttarakhand to ascertain the number of transgender persons in the State. Following this, they will be issued identity cards.

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The board will work towards facilitating the access of the community to the welfare schemes of the government and will also review the existing social, educational and health schemes for them. It will emphasise on making new schemes that are sensitive to and non-discriminatory towards the community besides creating an effective monitoring system to redress their grievances. A time limit will be fixed for investigation and resolution of complaints.

“In view of the protection of the rights of the transgender community, the proposal to form Uttarakhand Transgender Persons Welfare Board in the state was given the green signal in the cabinet meeting held on Wednesday. The Social Welfare Department will be the administrative department of this board. It will be headed by chief minister,” a communication from the State said.

Secretaries of various Departments including Social Welfare, Home, Finance, Personnel, Urban Development, Panchayati Raj, will be the nominated members of the board along with five experts from the transgender community and a representative of NGOs working for the community.

Seventeen States and Union Territories have transgender welfare or justice or development board under the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act 2019 and Rules 2020. Uttarakhand will be the 18th State to have a welfare board for the community.

On November 22, the Supreme Court Bench of Justices Hrishikesh Roy and S.V.N. Bhatti had directed the Union government, and the States and the Union Territories, who have not responded in the court so far, to file an affidavit within eight weeks on a public interest litigation, filed by Kinner Maa Ek Samajik Sanstha, seeking the establishment of the welfare boards for the transgender community. 

Published - December 12, 2024 07:41 pm IST