PMO asks for putting on hold bills on transgenders, drugs

The Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry had already completed inter-ministerial consultations on the two proposals –Rights of Transgender Persons Bill and the National Drug Demand Reduction Policy–and sent them to the PMO before those could be forwarded to the Union Cabinet for approval.

“Following inter-ministerial consultations, these two proposals after being vetted by the Law Ministry were sent to the PMO for its view before sending it to the Cabinet for approval,”  Ministry sources said.

“However, the PMO, in its communication to the Ministry, has asked it to put the two proposals on hold for the time being,” the sources said.

The PMO has not specified any reason for its decision, the sources added.

As per the Draft Rights of Transgender Persons Bill 2016, forcing a transgender to leave a village or residence, forcibly removing their clothes and parading them naked or inciting them to beg or do similar forms of bonded labour will be treated as atrocities and violence against them and proposes imprisonment of upto two years, along with a fine.

The Draft Bill also includes a chapter detailing a series of offences which shall be treated as atrocity and violence against transgenders.

Also, transgenders, who by birth do not belong to Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes may be declared a member of the Backward Classes and would be entitled to reservation under the existing ceiling for OBCs, according to the draft bill.