Dept plans shelter homes for transgender community
2
Bhubaneswar: The social security and empowerment of persons with disabilities (SSEPD) department has prepared a plan for the construction of shelter homes in districts for the transgender community.
During a meeting held on July 23, officials discussed Sweekruti, a scheme for the promotion of transgender equality and justice. A five-year action plan and tentative budget under different programme components of the Sweekruti scheme were proposed for the financial years from 2025-26 to 2029-30, according to minutes of the meeting shared by the department on Wednesday.
"The construction of transgender shelter homes in districts may be provisioned for from any suitable scheme of the department where the transgender population is more or education, vocation and employment opportunities are most sought after," read the minutes.
Official sources said the proposed shelter homes will accommodate destitute and abandoned transgender people and provide them basic amenities like food, medical care and recreational facilities. Besides, the shelter homes will provide support for the capacity-building/skill development of transgender people.
Officials also suggested the creation of self-help groups (SHGs) for the transgender community for better appreciation of the rights of equality and optimum delivery of scheme benefits.
Banks may be roped in by the district administrations for facilitating loans after proper assessment of skills such as driving, geriatric care and making incense sticks, the minutes stated.
"The sensitisation of society at college, vocational institutions/public offices, service centres along with the provision of stalls and activities during govt functions, local gatherings, festivals and melas may be taken up on a wider scale for the community," the minutes added.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Indian Express
01-08-2025
- New Indian Express
Empower SDHs in Odisha to issue PwD certificates, Health department urged
BHUBANESWAR: The sub-divisional hospitals in the state could soon be given the power to issue disability certificates to persons with disabilities (PwDs). In order to streamline disability certification and enhance accessibility for the differently-abled persons, the Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (SSEPD) department has urged the Health and Family Welfare department to authorise sub-divisional hospitals to conduct disability assessments and issue unique disability identity (UDID) cards. Currently, UDID cards mandated under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016 are issued through 33 notified hospitals, especially at district headquarters hospitals (DHHs). These hospitals are authorised for medical assessments and issuance of disability certificates, as per Rule 17 and 18 of the RPwD Rules, 2017. Stating that the centralised model of certification has resulted in a substantial backlog of UDID applications, particularly in populous and geographically large districts, additional secretary of SSEPD department Sonia Behera has urged her counterpart in the Health department to take steps for authorisation of sub-divisional hospitals to generate UDID cards.
Time of India
30-07-2025
- Time of India
Dept plans shelter homes for transgender community
1 2 Bhubaneswar: The social security and empowerment of persons with disabilities (SSEPD) department has prepared a plan for the construction of shelter homes in districts for the transgender community. During a meeting held on July 23, officials discussed Sweekruti, a scheme for the promotion of transgender equality and justice. A five-year action plan and tentative budget under different programme components of the Sweekruti scheme were proposed for the financial years from 2025-26 to 2029-30, according to minutes of the meeting shared by the department on Wednesday. "The construction of transgender shelter homes in districts may be provisioned for from any suitable scheme of the department where the transgender population is more or education, vocation and employment opportunities are most sought after," read the minutes. Official sources said the proposed shelter homes will accommodate destitute and abandoned transgender people and provide them basic amenities like food, medical care and recreational facilities. Besides, the shelter homes will provide support for the capacity-building/skill development of transgender people. Officials also suggested the creation of self-help groups (SHGs) for the transgender community for better appreciation of the rights of equality and optimum delivery of scheme benefits. Banks may be roped in by the district administrations for facilitating loans after proper assessment of skills such as driving, geriatric care and making incense sticks, the minutes stated. "The sensitisation of society at college, vocational institutions/public offices, service centres along with the provision of stalls and activities during govt functions, local gatherings, festivals and melas may be taken up on a wider scale for the community," the minutes added.
New Indian Express
29-07-2025
- New Indian Express
Odisha to survey children with disabilities soon
BHUBANESWAR: The Women and Child Development department will soon begin a comprehensive survey to identify children with disabilities across all the 21 categories as identified under the Rights to Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016. The department will carry out the exercise with the help of its anganwadi workers and the Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (SSEPD) department. It will also ensure registration of the unidentified children with disabilities on the UDID portal, which is the national database for all Persons with Disabilities (PwDs), along with their socio-economic details. Under the exercise, children with disabilities in the age group of 0 to 18 will be identified. For the purpose, the SSEPD department will spend Rs 5 crore. The last time children with disabilities were surveyed in the state was during Census 2011 which had put the total population of Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) at 12,44,402. The highest percentage of PwDs were found in the age group of 10 to 19 years (15.09 pc). According to reports, only two per cent of children with disabilities are in schools and 0.5 to 0.6 pc of them comprise girls.
