THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Finance minister Dr T.M. Thomas Isaac said that transgenders would be provided houses under the EMS Housing Scheme. The minister made the announcement here on Monday after watching Avalilekkulla Dooram, a documentary on the plight of transgenders by photojournalist P Abhijith.
The minister, apparently touched by the film, said that a training programme, too, would be launched for transgenders. “It has been found that many in the community are not adequately skilled,” the minister said. “Once the skilling is done, they would be provided employment under the self-employment schemes of Kerala Financial Corporation,” he added.
The minister’s promises looked like a continuation of what he had laid down in his ‘Alteration Memorandum’. During his speech, Mr Isaac had announced plans to allot pension for those above the age of 60. The minimum pension would be Rs 1,000.
That the transgender community has been cruelly discriminated against was revealed in the findings of the first-ever survey on TG community in the state conducted last year. It was revealed that less than 12 percent have regular jobs; that nearly 60 percent drop out before they reach 10th standard; and also that 89 percent has been ill-treated at work.
