HANAMKONDA/WARANGAL: The Telangana Scheduled Castes Co-operative Development Corporation and Backward Classes Corporation are being flooded with applications for self-employment loans from the transgender community. Though there is no provision for sanctioning of self-employment loans to the third gender, online applications are piling up in the corporation.
The officials concerned express their helplessness and say that they can do nothing unless the State government issues a GO, making a provision for sanctioning of loans to transgender applicants.
The Corporation sanctions self-employment loans to certain categories of unemployed youth to start their own business particularly those pursuing their traditional crafts. The State government also provides subsidy on the loan taken by the beneficiaries.
According to the Corporation officials, transgenders submit applications online for loans though there is no option for them. As a result, their applications are rejected after field verification is carried out. This ‘discrimination’ leaves transgenders distraught.
Speaking to TNIE, Telangana Hijra and Transgender Samithi Secretary Muvvala Chandramukhi stated that the denial of loans by the Corporation makes mockery of the 2014 Supreme Court judgement which gave them equal opportunities in education, employment, and all other spheres of activity.
National Legal Services Authority vs. Union of India is a landmark judgement of the Supreme Court of India, which declared transgender people the ‘third gender’, affirmed that the fundamental rights granted under the Constitution of India will be equally applicable to them, and gave them the right to self-identification of their gender as male, female or third gender.
This judgement has been distinguished as a major step towards gender equality in India.Moreover, the court also held that because transgender people were treated as socially and economically backward classes, they will be granted reservations in admissions to educational institutions and jobs.But till now there is no implementation of the judgment by the State government. “We urge the State government to issue a GO providing for self-employment loans to us,” said Chandramukhi.