BHUBANESWAR: At least 236 transgenders partnering in urban programmes have been paid Rs 4 crore towards service charges, said Housing and Urban Development department principal secretary G Mathi Vathanan.The transgenders from 34 TG groups have actively participated in various urban programmes and earned approximately Rs 4 crore as service charges till date as per the 5T governance framework in Odisha.
“We are transcending barriers and building partnerships with the transgender community,” said the principal secretary. Around 43 transgenders are engaged in faecal sludge treatment plants, as many as sanitation vehicle drivers, 41 in solid water processing centres, 31 in water treatment plants, 24 in Mukta (the urban Wage employment initiative), 18 for parking fee collection, two as urban professionals, 32 as support staff, and one each in a shelter for urban homeless and Jalasathi programme.
Odisha government has taken significant steps in inclusive sanitation practices and urban local bodies across the state are partnering with the transgender community in faecal sludge and septage management, solid waste management, water supply and other services.