National Council for Transgender Persons has been constituted by the Central Government, in the exercise of the powers conferred by section 16 of the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019.
This is India’s first statutory body which shall be working for the welfare of transgender citizens and was announced on August 21, 2020. It aims at setting up Transgender Welfare Boards in all States across the country.
UPSC aspirants must carefully go through the important aspects, functions, and composition of the body as questions based on the same may be included under Government policies and Interventions and Social justice part of GS I and II of the IAS Exam syllabus.
National Council for Transgender Persons:-Download PDF Here
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Functions of the National Council for Transgender Persons
The main objective of the council is to focus on the livelihood related concerns of transgender people and to spread awareness for the acceptance of transpersons within society.
Following are the functions of the National Council for Transgender Persons:
- It will act as an advisory to the Central Government on the formulation of policies, programs, legislation, and projects with respect to transgender persons
- To ensure and monitor the impact of policies and programs designed for achieving equality and full participation of transgender persons
- It will also analyse and coordinate the activities of all the departments of Government and other Governmental and non-Governmental Organisations, working for matters regarding the same
- Resolving and Redressing the grievances of transgender persons
- Apart from this, performing any other functions as directed by the Central Government
Composition of National Council for Transgender Persons
As per the official announcement made by the Government official on August 21, 2020, a set committee will be formed to manage and lead the organisation. It shall comprise:
- Union Minister of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment as the Chairperson
- One representative each from five states or union territories, from east, west, north, south, and northeast zones. They will be appointed on a rotational basis
- Five members from the transgender community will also be a part of this Council. One member each from east, west, north, south, and northeast will be appointed. For the first tenure of the council, the following members have been elected:
- Laxmi Narayan Tripathi
- Gopi Shankar Madurai
- Meera Parida
- Zainab Javid Pate
- Kak Chingtabam Shyamcand Sharma
- Apart from this, 10 other members will also be included in the council. These members must be working at joint-secretary levels. It shall comprise one representative each from:
- Ministry of Health
- Ministry of Home Affairs
- Ministry of Minority Affairs
- Ministry of Education
- Ministry of Rural Development
- Ministry of Labour and Law
- Department of Pensions (Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions)
- NITI Aayog
- National Human Rights Commission (NHRC)
- National Commission for Women
All the members will work for a tenure of three years and then fresh members would be appointed to the committee.
National Council for Transgender Persons – A Brief Background
- To improve the condition of transgender persons in India and to help them get acceptance and lead a normal livelihood, the Central Government formed a committee in 2013 to monitor the challenges and hardships faced by the transpeople in the country.
- In 2014, one of the biggest judgments was passed by the Supreme court of India, declaring transgender people as the ‘third gender’. The NALSA Case Judgement 2014 was one of the biggest victories of the transgender community
- Soon after, a private member bill was introduced in the Rajya Sabha in 2014 itself, stating equal rights to be offered for the protection and growth of this community
- The bill passed in 2014 lapsed, and the Central Government, in 2016, introduced a new bill in the Lok Sabha which was passed by the Parliament in 2019. The bill was named the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2019
As a part of the bill passed in 2019, the National Council of Transgender People was finally announced in 2020 by the Central Government.
Aspirants who wish to know in detail about the National Legal Services Authority of India (NALSA) can visit the linked article.
About Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019
Given below are the important aspects of the Transgender Persons Act passed in 2019:
- The act defines a transgender as a person gender does not match the gender assigned at birth and includes people with intersex variations
- As per the bill, no one can discriminate against a transgender from society and they have equal education and employment rights
- The bill also ensures that health care facilities will be provided to all transpersons
- A transgender can get a certificate of their gender from the District Magistrate as an identity proof
Also, the bill clearly states that any kind of discrimination or offenses against the transgender may lead to serious punishments and even imprisonment in some cases.
To know how a bill is passed in the Parliament, candidates can visit the linked article.
National Council for Transgender Persons:-Download PDF Here
FAQ about National Council for Transgender Persons
What is the definition of transgender as per the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019?
Which ministry has set up India’s first National Council for transgender persons?
Apart from that, all Government exam aspirants can visit BYJU’S and get the latest study material and preparation tips for the upcoming competitive exams.
For information regarding the other Indian statutory bodies, refer to the links given below:
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