GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1397
TO BE ANSWERED ON 07.12.2021
SOCIAL PROTECTION TO TRANSGENDER COMMUNITY
1397. MS. RAMYA HARIDAS:
Will the Minister of SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT be pleased to state:
(a) the steps taken by Government to address the distress of the Transgender Community hit hard by the pandemic;
(b) the steps taken by Government to provide the Transgender Community with alternative livelihoods amidst the pandemic;
(c) whether the Government has plans to introduce new schemes for providing social protection to the Transgender Community; and
(d) if so, the details thereof?
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ANSWER
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ANSWER
MINISTER OF SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT
(DR. VIRENDRA KUMAR)
(a) & (b): During lockdown period in first wave of COVID pandemic, Ministry has provided financial assistance of Rs 85.66 lakhs to 5711 transgender persons as subsistence allowance of 1,500 per person and ration kit of Rs. 12.83 lakhs to 1,229 Transgender persons. Similar financial assistance was also provided during second wave of pandemic to 5,938 transgender persons incurring expenditure of Rs. 89.24 lakhs.
Ministry has issued an advisory for Transgender Persons for creating awareness about Covid appropriate behaviour, which is available on the official website of the Ministry.
Ministry has also written to the Principal Secretaries of all States to ensure that there is no discrimination against Transgender persons in existing Covid vaccination centres.
An emergency helpline was setup to provide psychological support through trained Psychologists to Transgender Persons in distress during pandemic.
(c) & (d): The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has formulated a scheme “SMILE - Support for Marginalized Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise”, which includes sub scheme -‘Comprehensive Rehabilitation for Welfare of Transgender Persons’. The focus of the sub-scheme is on rehabilitation, provision of medical facilities and intervention, counseling, education, skill development, economic linkages to the transgender persons.
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