Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Wednesday announced a new measure for the welfare of transgenders in the State - a pension scheme. The scheme will cover destitute transgenders above the age of 40. The measure would cost the State exchequer an additional expenditure of Rs 1.17 crore.
Under the scheme, transgenders who are above the age of 40 and living in economically poor conditions, will get Rs 1,000 per month. The measure aims at bring them to mainstream society, an official release here said.
After assuming the office of the Chief Minister for the third time last year, Jayalalithaa has announced a new scheme for economic empowerment of transgenders wherein bank loans upto Rs 15 lakh with 25 per cent subsidy are provided to help them take up income generation activities of Self Help Groups formed by transgenders.
Till June, over 50 transgender SHGs have been sanctioned with various projects worth Rs 2 crore involving 25 per cent subsidy of Rs 55 lakh and Rs 1.45 crore as bank loan.
So far, as many as 3,878 transgenders have registered as members of the welfare board for transgenders and all of them have been issued identity cards. Besides, 1,365 family cards have been issued to transgenders.
During the budget session, Minister for Special Programme Implementation, K T Rajenthra Balaji announced that notifications for change of names given by transgenders would be published in the government gazette free of cost. Municipal Administration Minister K P Munusamy had said 100 SHGs would be set up for transgenders during the current financial year and rotation fund would be extended to them.
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