Meghalaya cabinet nod to amendment, to give recognition to

The Meghalaya cabinet today approved the amendment in the Meghalaya Registration of Birth and Death Rules, 1999, paving the way for recognition of transgenders in line with the apex court order.
The amendment will ensure that the option of male, female and the third gender is available in the birth and death registration forms provided by the concerned government departments, Chief Minister Mukul Sangma told reporters here after the cabinet meeting.
Now they (transgenders) will have the right to indicate their gender, he said adding the cabinet decision was taken after the MHA issued a circular in line with the orders of the Supreme Court.

The state government does not have any data with regards to the transgender population, health department officials said.
The Supreme Court had in 2014 asked the Centre to treat transgender as socially and economically backward.
It had also directed that transgender people will be allowed admission in educational institutions and given employment on the basis that they belonged to the third gender category.