‘Inheritance rights, anti-discrimination cell for welfare of transgender people’

NEW DELHI: The NHRC has in an advisory to the Centre and state authorities given a slew of recommendations for the welfare of transgender people including a provision for multi-purpose identity cards to easily access government schemes and setting up “anti-discrimination cells” and medical boards to assist them at the district level.

The rights panel in a statement on Tuesday said that it has also recommended that a “single trans child” of a deceased government employee or pensioner may be treated as an unmarried daughter for the family pension and other benefits, and transgender persons should be allowed to inherit ancestral agricultural land.

The National Human Rights Commission has issued the advisory to the Centre and state governments and UT administrations to ensure the welfare of transgender persons, with the rights panel observing that one of the primary concerns faced by them is that despite legal advancements, they continue to “grapple with discrimination”.

The advisory has been prepared by it after wide discussions with various stakeholders and its core group members on LGBTI issues, the statement said.

The right panel has also recommended including ‘Third Gender’ as an identity category of the transgender community seeking jobs in various civil services and to enable them to apply and appear in entrance examinations.