Universities asked to include column for transgenders in forms

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has written to all universities to include a column for the transgender category in all application forms.
Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Vijay Sampla told Rajya Sabha that universities have been requested to include a column for transgender category in all application forms/academic testimonials and all other relevant documents processed by them, as well as by their affiliated colleges.
UGC has also informed that it has issued directions to all its bureaus to ensure that the forms/proformas of all the schemes being operated by it have a column for the transgender in gender category, he said in reply to a question.

The Minister said the Supreme Court in its judgement in 2014 had directed that 'hijras', eunuchs, apart from binary gender, be treated as "third gender" for the purpose of safeguarding their rights under Part III for the Constitution and laws made by Parliament and state legislature.