BENGALURU: Post Transgender Policy 2017, members of transgender community continue to be discriminated and denied their due by officials in Tahasildar offices located in and around Bengaluru.
“Ignorance among officials, in fact, has resulted in tardy progress of Mythri and other rehabilitation programmes for transgenders,’’ assert spokespersons of Payana, Karnataka Sexual Minority Forum, Nisarga Society in Chickballapura and other organisations championing the rights of transgender community.
“Many officials are totally unaware that there are different categories of transgenders like female to male, male to female, inter-sex, Jogtas, Jogappa, Jijra, Aravanis and Shivashakti,’’ informs Savitha, a transgender, of Payana.
Prior to the unveiling of Transgender Policy in 2017, government had launched Mythri scheme at Ravindra Kalakshetra in 2015 and had declared that identity, residential proof would not be mandatory for the scheme.
“The promises of ministers have fallen flat on ground as officials have been rejecting applications for not submitting identity or residential proof,’’ informs Savitha, who after going through a lot of suffering, began to help other members from transgender community avail monthly pension of `500 under Mythri scheme.
A proposal to provide houses for members of transgender community in Chinnasandra village of Chintamani taluk, Chickballapura district, cleared a year ago by a committee lead by local judge, has been gathering dust.
Transgender community to stage dharna before DC’s office today
Under the aegis of Nisarga Society, members of transgender community will participate in a three-kilometre procession from Vapasandra and stage dharna at Deputy Commissioner’s office at 11.30 am on July 30. The members are also seeking a space for separate burial ground for transgenders.