BENGALURU: Ganga, 42, a transgender from Ballari, was delighted when the Gruha Lakshmi scheme was launched in the State in August. “With Rs 2,000 a month from Gruha Lakshmi and Rs 800 from Maithree (pension scheme for transgenders), I thought I could pay my house rent. But this did not happen,” she said.
Ganga ran from pillar to post to get the benefits of these schemes but in vain. Explaining her ordeal, Ganga said she went to an Internet center to apply for the benefit under the Gruha Lakshmi scheme. “The government portal asked me to upload my ration card. That’s when I applied for a ration card. But that portal has only two options -- male and female. I don’t belong to these categories,” she said.
Later, she visited the Food and Civil Supplies Department’s office where the officials told her that a ration card cannot be issued to a single person. Her parents live in a separate house and they have a ration card. “I was thrown out of my house, I don’t have a family now. Officials ruled out giving me a ration card,” she said.
Earlier, there were many instances of all members of a single-family getting individual ration cards in their names to avail more benefits. Such individual cards have been eliminated. This could be the reason for the department not issuing a single card, T Krishnappa of the Fair Price Shop Dealers’ Association said.
Sheetal from Chikkamagaluru said without a ration card number one cannot apply for the Gruha Lakshmi scheme. In Chikkamagaluru, there are 350 transgenders, but only two have houses and they are getting the scheme’s benefits as they live with their families.
According to Nisha Gulur, program director of Sangama, there is a provision for the community members to get Transgender cards. Showing this card, transgenders can travel for free in government-run buses under the Shakti scheme. In Karnataka, only 2,000 members have Transgender cards. “Our NGO is helping transgenders to get such cards. The government should help the transgender community to enjoy the benefits of welfare schemes,” Nisha said. The government should conduct a census of transgenders, she said.
Lakshmi from Hosapete said the Shakti scheme is not applicable to transgenders. “We have been given Transgender cards. But bus conductors say their ticketing machines have no provision to note the Transgender card numbers to issue free tickets,” she added.