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On January 18, 2025, the Vice Chairman of Karnataka State Guarantee Schemes Implementation Authority, S R Mehroz Khan assured the transgender community that he will work with the community and ensure access to the government’s five guarantee schemes to all transgender persons in the State. He made this commitment at a public interaction with community members organized by Ondede at Indian Social Institute, Bengaluru.

The almost two-hour long interaction titled “State Level Intersex-Gender Minorities Community Meeting on Understanding Concerns of Accessing Social Entitlements” was led by Soumya (Payana) and Akkai Padmashali (Ondede). Rakshitha (Treasurer, Ondede) moderated the session.

The session began with Mehroz Khan providing a brief on the importance of and extent to which the five guarantee schemes – Shakthi, Gruha Lakshmi, Gruha Jyothi, Anna Bhagya, and Yuva Nidhi – are being successfully accessed by the women of the State.

Structural issues in access

Soumya, representing community organization Payana (Kannada for “Journey”), spoke next and brought to the Vice Chairman’s attention that while the schemes are all relevant social entitlements, the successes he has listed does not include transgender persons. This, she said, is because there are structural issues preventing access. The Shakthi scheme – free bus travel for women and transgender persons – has not been accessible because the authorities do not accept their documents. Gruha Lakshmi – pays 2000 rupees to women (including transwomen), Anna Bhagya – a direct money transfer scheme, and Gruha Jyothi – provision of free electricity, have all not been accessible because it is based on a traditional understanding of family, home and documentation. A majority of transgender persons, she highlighted, form their own community living arrangements, are without family or homes and necessary documents and thus cannot access these schemes. Yuva Nidhi – financial assistance for unemployed graduates, also faces similar concerns.

She ended her presentation by appealing that the government finally set up a transgender welfare board in the State, consisting of transgender representatives, so that all concerns from education, employment, housing to reservations can be handled directly by the community members.

Akkai Padmashali, member of the Congress Party and founder of Ondede, provided a brief history of the transgender struggle for legal recognition. She highlighted that they mark 15 April as the National Transgender Pride Day because of the 2014 Supreme Court judgment that gave legal recognition to transgender persons. She spoke about the importance of political representation for transgender persons and explained to the Vice Chairman that ‘transgender’ is an umbrella term that consists of varied identities with different life experiences and struggles. She said, Ondede’s efforts are towards bringing all these voices together, and also asserted the importance of setting up a transgender welfare board in the State.

Community highlights need for sensitization

After the introductory remarks the session was opened to the members of the community to share their difficulties with accessing various schemes and government services. Many community members also shared videos with the Vice Chairman showing the ways in which government officials, specifically bus conductors, mistreated them when they tried to access benefits under Shakti scheme.

The most repeated concern, coming from transfeminine community members, was about how the government officials had an assumption about how transgender persons must dress and behave in order to be considered transgender persons. Even though they had the TG card, the government officials would not accept the same and refuse service.

An intersex person hailing from North Karnataka, explained the difficulties she faced in accessing education and employment because the government refused to recognize her identity. She stated that she wanted to join the Indian Army but has been unable to do so.

Community members also spoke of expanding Yuva Nidhi access beyond graduates, systematizing the Mythri pension scheme, increasing the grant amounts for self-employment entrepreneurship, and extending 1% employment reservation in private corporate sector.

Community members asserted that there is a need for greater sensitization among government officials and service centres (such as the Seva Sindhus) about the realities of transgender persons so as to ensure proper access to services.

All concerns placed were representative of transfeminine (Hijra, Kothi, Mangalamukhi and other identities) communities. There were no recommendations placed by representatives from transmasculine communities in the State. Therefore, modalities of access to transmasculine members remains to be understood.

As an independent member of the transgender community currently living in Karnataka, this writer who had been informed of the session, also raised the issue of horizontal reservations in education, the discrimination being committed by NLSIU, as well as the letter and recommendations submitted to the Chief Minister of the State.

Meeting to establish a welfare board

At the end of the session, the Vice Chairman affirmed that he will look into all the concerns raised and work with concerned departments and ministries to ensure access. He also stated that in the coming week (20-24 January, 2025) a meeting will organized with the community representatives, Chief Secretary and others, to discuss the setting up of a TG Welfare Board with separate allocation. He took special note of the concerns around the Shakti Scheme and said a meeting with the transport secretary will also be set up.

Based on his understanding of the various issues raised in the session he also suggested the following. For education, he felt it would be good to set up classes specially for transgender persons in one school in areas where transgender persons are living. He also suggested strengthening access to open universities. For housing concerns, the housing board could identify separate places for housing transgender persons. For employment, he felt that transgender persons must identify their own skills and pursue skill development through CSR efforts. This, he felt, would develop entrepreneurship.

Though well-intentioned, it may be noted by the community that suggested actions may tend to further separate transgender persons from mainstream society than securing full non-discriminatory participation in every aspect of public life.

After the session, the Vice Chairman interacted with the press and individual members of the community briefly.

Speaking to me after the session, Rakshitha (Youth Social Activist and Treasurer, Ondede) said that this session comes after multiple attempts of the community to secure access to these schemes. In September 2023, members of the community had met with the Chief Minister, Dy Chief Minister, Transport Minister and WCD Minister and submitted a memorandum seeking intervention for access to the guarantee schemes. At the time the government had committed to resolving the issues within three to six months. For the year 2024, many transgender persons who were eligible to benefits under the Gruha Lakshmi scheme did not receive the same. Further to interventions from the community, they started receiving the benefits in parts (without arrears) from October 2024. When these efforts were unsatisfactory to cover all the schemes, such a meeting became necessary.

It is important to note that unlike Kerala, where the government has a separate portal for issuing ID cards, and Tamil Nadu, which offers an app (Thirunangaial) for accessing ID cards, transgender persons in Karnataka are dependent entirely on the National Portal for gaining their TG cards. Therefore, it remains to be seen how adequately the coverage of the schemes will be expanded to all the members of the community.

Ondede (Kannada for “Convergence”) is a community-based organization founded by Akkai Padmashali, comprising representatives from various parts of the State that aims to “create a space for dialogue and support and strengthen action to visibilize issues of Dignity-Voice-Sexuality in relation to Children, Women and Sexual Minorities”. The other community organizations that participated in the interaction were Payana, Swatantra, KSMF, Okoota, and Parivartan Trust. Independent members of the community were also present. Local media coverage was provided by Public TV.