In last three years, 990 destitute transgender persons have been rehabilitated through garima grehs (Shelter homes) and as many as 725 were imparted skill development training. At the same time, 24,015 transgender persons have been issued identity certificates through the National Portal for Transgender persons, the Government informed Parliament on Tuesday.

Additionally, Transgender Welfare Boards and Protection Cells have been set up in multiple states and union territories to address the welfare and security of the community. These efforts are complemented by healthcare support through the Ayushman Bharat scheme, ensuring a more inclusive and supportive environment for transgender persons in India, said  Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment BL Verma, in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha.

The Minister said that transgender welfare boards and Transgender Protection Cells have been set up in 19 and 12 States/UTs respectively for the welfare and security of the individuals from the community.

The protection cells under Director General of Police aims to monitor cases of offences against transgender persons and to ensure timely registration, investigation and prosecution of such offences, said the Minister.

The TWBs have been set up in Rajasthan, Mizoram, Chandigarh, Andhra Pradesh, Pondicherry, Maharashtra, Kerala, Meghalaya, Manipur, Tripura, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Jammu and Kashmir and Andaman & Nicobar. The States where protection cell has been set up are Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Arunachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Chandigarh, Andaman & Nicobar, Sikkim, Punjab, Mizoram, Jammu and Kashmir and Uttar Pradesh.

The Minister also informed that MoU with National Health Authority (NHA) for convergence with Ayushman Bharat scheme of NHA has been done for providing health facilities under Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojna (PMJAY) scheme to transgender persons.

Eighteen Garima Grehs, shelter homes for destitute transgender persons have been established in 15 States namely Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal (2 shelters) and Maharashtra (3).

The main aim of Garima Greh is to provide shelter to transgender persons with basic amenities like food, medical care, and recreational facilities besides providing support for the capacity-building/skill development of the sector, added the Minister.

The National Portal for Transgender Persons is an end-to-end online process where the applicant can apply for the TG certificate and also download the certificate after issue without any requirement to go to any office of issue. “This portal has more than 62 Lakh visitors and as of now, 24,015 certificates have been issued.”