Special home for transgender beggars to be set up in Odisha Capital

Bhubaneswar: The SSEPD Department of the Odisha government on Thursday gave its approval for rehabilitation of Transgender and creation of beggar home for them. The beggar home will have 50 bed capacities and RFP for the same will be floated soon to select the service providing agency, told Commissioner Prem Chandra Chaudhary.

This is another milepost set by Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation under its inclusive development strategy following the approval of three special homes for women and children, physical and mentally challenged and elderly beggars in the city. While selection of agencies for these three 100 bedded homes are over, this is another development of the ULB said Deputy Commissioner Kamala Kanta Behera.

Beggar-free initiative is in process and many times the city authority along with Commissionerate Police and civil society organisations have rescued beggars from different places of the city. Beggary on road side has been prohibited and Ram Mandir site is beggar free now.

Transgender is the special category; many of this gender are found practicing beggary. This TG rehabilitation home is a preliminary step by BMC.

It is pertinent to mention that on April 15, 2014 the Supreme Court had given a historic judgement of declaring transgender as third gender in India.

BMC has already taken steps to include transgender community in different activities like holding tax collection, managing parking lot which are the indicators of development initiatives.