CHENNAI: In a bid to create a more inclusive society, the state has announced plans to provide trans persons with proper training and induct them into the Home Guard.
They will be assigned tasks such as traffic management and crowd control during festival seasons. The monthly scholarship of Rs 1,000 for students pursuing higher education will also be extended to trans persons.
In the first phase, 50 transgender persons will be inducted into the Home Guard in Chennai, Tambaram and Avadi. They will receive remuneration, training and uniforms on par with other Home Guards.
G Kajol, a former non-official member of the Tamil Nadu Transgender Welfare Board in Tiruchy, pointed out that many such initiatives remain ineffective due to poor execution and urged the government to allocate a specific percentage of Home Guard posts for trans persons and provide concessions in educational qualifications during recruitment.
A Home Guard officer from Madurai recalled a similar initiative in 2013, which was unsuccessful. When V Balakrishnan was the Madurai SP, six trans persons underwent training to join the Home Guard. However, they did not complete the programme due to various challenges. According to higher education officials, 124 transgender students pursuing higher education will benefit from the aid.
D Ajitha, a first-year transgender student pursuing a BSc in Psychology at a college in GN Mills in Coimbatore said that the financial aid would help cover some of her college expenses.