Cutting across party lines, Rajya Sabha Members called upon the government to implement policies for the upliftment of the transgender community in India.
DMK member Tiruchi Siva had moved a private member bill, ‘RIGHTS OF TRANSGENDER PERSONS BILL’ for discussion and passing in the Rajya Sabha on 27th February, 2015. According to Orinam.net, the bill was originally introduced by him in the Rajya Sabha on 12th December, 2014 and “aims to provide for the formulation and implementation of a comprehensive national policy for ensuring overall development of the transgender persons and for their welfare to be undertaken by the State.”
Congress member M S Gill said,”Government must own this bill and pass a sensitive legislation for transgenders, whom people push away. It will give credit to new government. They have the same rights as you and me.”
Vivek Gupta of the Trinamool Congress said that the community, despite a population of over two million, was discriminated against in “every walk of life” and sought the government’s intervention. Another Trinamool MP D Bandopadhyay demanded a law to cover the whole gamut of welfare activities for them.
A Navaneethakrishnan of AIADMK said that Tamil Nadu government has done pioneering work for them which should be replicated in other states. Besides forming self-help groups, the state government was giving them a pension of Rs 1,000 a month.
The Supreme Court, in its verdict in the NALSA case in 2014, had asked the government to start various welfare initiatives for the transgender community.
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