Srinagar, July 19: Dr. Arun Kumar Mehta, the Chief Secretary, held discussions today on the welfare of transgender people in the UT so that they may also become an important part of society and get their fair share of rights and opportunities.
Along with other interested authorities, the meeting was attended by the Additional Chief Secretary for Housing, Principal Secretary for Finance, Commissioner Secretary for Social Welfare, Secretary for Health, and a representative of the transgender community.
The Chief Secretary listened carefully to the requests made by the community representative at the time. He assured them that the government is dedicated to giving community members every aid necessary so they may contribute meaningfully to society.
Dr. Mehta instructed the involved agencies to educate their personnel about the unique requirements of these people so that they may efficiently access all the services. He suggested that they provide all of the rewards for self-employment, health, and other perks to members of this third gender in the population.
Every community member who is willing should be encouraged to step forward and take advantage of the welfare measures, he added. He urged them to create a list of people interested in starting various businesses so that the government could assist them in easily securing them.
They were invited to participate in the government’s social and economic programs by the chief secretary. He invited them to take part in PRI events as well.
The gathering was told that there are more than 4000 people of this gender living in the UT. The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is said to have developed the “SMILE – Support for Marginalized Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise” program, which also contains the “Comprehensive Rehabilitation for Welfare of Transgender Persons” sub-scheme.
The sub-scheme’s primary goals include rehabilitation, medical facility and intervention providing, counselling, education, skill development, and economic connections to transgender people.
Additionally, the Ministry’s PM-DAKSH skill development program is also used to provide the recipients who identify as transgender with skill development training.
