Transgenders in Jabalpur lead pitiable life; still waiting for Identity Cards
Despite being given equal rights by the constitution, Transgenders are often shunned and are a subject of rebuke for society.
There are more than 15,000 transgender communities in Jabalpur. Of these only 1000 have employment and the rest lead a life of trepidation and poverty. The Transgender community is often ignored, ostracized socially. The pitiable condition of the Transgender community is prevalent not only in Jabalpur but in Madhya Pradesh state as a whole.
Despite being physically fit, the transgender community is always left out of the employment process. Many transgenders are educationally well qualified but are unable to get decent employment due to social stigma and prejudice against them. Numerous efforts have been made by NGOs like the Arman Foundation which has taken up the issues of the transgender community with the Collector of Jabalpur but no tangible efforts have been made in this direction.
The transgender community tried to obtain a BPL card through the auspices of the Red Cross. However, the process has not moved an inch. When the concerned officials went to make the survey, they decreed that the transgender community is not eligible for the BPL scheme since their income is higher than the poverty baseline. Notably, most members of the community are unemployed or do not have a steady source of income.
A move was made to prepare Identity Cards for transgender. However, the scheme has not moved beyond declaration and the community is still waiting for the Identity Cards without which neither can they get BPL neither card nor any other welfare schemes of the government.
It is a cruel fact that the transgender community is struggling for existence. Right from their own home, transgenders face rebuke and discrimination. Families often disown them and they have to fend for themselves without any family support. A simple process like getting a ration card, a BPL (Below Poverty Line) Card or Shramik Card is torture. The situation during lockdown has become even worse with many transgenders losing their employment and being forced into a state of starvation.
Despite being given equal rights by the constitution, Transgenders are shunned and are a subject of rebuke for society. The law has acknowledged the LGBT and transgender community as a distinct group.
Furthermore, society and government are still not sensitive to their needs. Even literature and epics depict transgender in a negative way. It will take a very long time for society to accept the LGBT community as a normal and distinct group of people. The process has started in the West but the Indian society has miles to go before this happens in India.
