No shelter home for LGBTQI+, DCW seeks action

There are no single shelter homes in Delhi for transgenders, stated DCW in its notice and asked for details on the pending proposal.
Image used for representational purposes
Image used for representational purposes

NEW DELHI: The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) has sent a notice to the Social Welfare Department of the government and sought details of steps taken for the welfare of LGBTQI+ persons in the state.The commission took the suo-motu cognisance of issues faced by the community in Delhi. The DCW has asked the department to inform whether the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Rules, 2020 have been notified in Delhi and whether a Transgender Welfare Board has been set up.

There are no single shelter homes in Delhi for transgenders, stated DCW in its notice and asked for details on the pending proposal.The commission also sent notice to the District magistrates asking them for details — applications received in the districts seeking issuance of certificates as a transgender person as well as certificates indicating a change in gender, the number of applications received along with the number of certificates issued, rejected and pending and steps taken to streamline the process.

Rudrani Chhetri, the founder of MITR trust said, “Transgender Welfare Board worked as a medium between us and the state government. As there is no welfare board in the capital yet, our voices remain unheard by the state government.”

“This is a complete violation of the Supreme court’s guidelines. The order stated that every state must constitute a Transgender Welfare board,” said Rudrani DCW Chief Swati Maliwal said, “The Commission through its transgender cell regularly interacts with LGBTQI+ persons and assists them in resolving their problems.

However, they continue to face several issue.” She said there is no shelter home in Delhi for transgenders and asked the social welfare department to furnish details of any pending proposals on the matter.The commission has also sought data regarding the number of applications in the district where an appeal was made before the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019 against a rejected application.

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