Gujarat Govt forms Transgender Welfare Board

The Gujarat government has formed a special board for the transgender community, an official release said Monday.

The 'Transgender Welfare Bord' has been constituted by the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment to provide social security to the community, it said.

After the Supreme Court recognised transgenders as a third gender in 2014, the UnionMinistry of Social Justice and Empowerment had constituted an expert committee to examine various issues of the community, the release said.

Based on the committee's findings, the apex court had asked state governments to constitute welfare boards for the the transgender community, it added.

The new board will have the state social justice and empowerment minister as its chairman.

It will have 16 other members, including two transgender-women representatives, two male transgenders, two from the eunuch community and two representatives of NGOs. The rest of the members will be government officials.

It will work for uplift and development of the transgender community, it said.

As a state-run agency, the board will have powers to introduce special schemes for the community, the release added.