Did You Know About Odisha’s Trans Person Policy & Its Efforts for an Inclusive Future?

Odisha was one of the first states in India to implement social welfare measures like food security, free housing, etc. for the transgender community. Following the same spirit, it is now seeking to enact the Transgender Person Policy 2021 throughout the state.

However, before it does so, the State government is looking for inputs from citizens and stakeholders on a draft version of this policy.

Through this Policy, the Odisha State government is seeking to implement provisions of the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019 and the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Rules, 2020.

It aims to introduce strategic interventions that guarantee holistic protection through different sectors within the state. It also sets up a Welfare Board and a Protection Cell to ensure implementation of the policy and protection of rights of the transgender community.

Some of the key features of the policy include:

1. Increase in employment opportunities for transgender persons.
2. A mandate on educational institutions to establish anti-discrimination cells to protect students identifying as transgender from any forms of harassment.
3. Requirement for educational institutions to include an option in the forms to allow students to identify as transgender, along with male and female options.
4. Government hospitals to set up a separate fund for sexual reassignment surgeries along with HIV surveillance centres.

To learn more about this policy, please watch this short explainer video below.

Do you have thoughts on this policy that you would like to share with the Odisha State government? Click here to read a short summary of the policy and give your feedback on it.

(Written by Shonottra Kumar, Senior Associate for Communications and Outreach, Civis.Vote; Edited by Yoshita Rao)