All section Close
Image Credits: ANIPortal
Odisha: Transgender Community Struggles To Make Ends Meet, Seeks Government Assistance
Writer: Palak Agrawal
Palak a journalism graduate believes in simplifying the complicated and writing about the extraordinary lives of ordinary people. She calls herself a " hodophile" or in layman words- a person who loves to travel.
Odisha, 31 July 2020 8:41 AM GMT
Editor : Shubhendu Deshmukh |
Shubhendu, the quint essential news junky, the man who loves science and politics in equal measure and offers the complete contrast to it by being a fan of urdu poetry as well.
Creatives : Abhishek M
" An engineer by profession, Abhishek is the creative producer of the team, graphic designing is his passion and travelling his get away. In more ways than one, he makes the content visually appealing."
With roads and railway stations bearing deserted look and celebrations put on a halt, members of this community have been facing the brunt of the coronavirus crisis.
The coronavirus lockdown has impacted the marginalised sections of the society including the transgender community which survived mostly on begging or performing at celebrations.
The lockdown has brought the economy to a standstill, with the roads and railway stations bearing deserted look and celebrations put on a halt. Some of the community members in Odisha's Bhadrak are now seeking support from the government.
"We do not have employment amid COVID-19 crisis. Only we know how we are surviving, we would have to stage a demonstration. If the government would not listen to our problems, who else would?" said Sunita, Secretary, Ardha Nariswar Kinnar Mahasabha, Bhadrak, reported Business World.
According to several reports, transgenders are vulnerable to COVID-19 due to the poor living condition. Another transgender, Sanjana shared that even though the government has provided them voter identification card, Aadhar card but they haven't received any assistance from the authorities.
"We are very in a bad situation and we have not even received any help. We do not have food, a place to live and a source of income amid this crisis. The government should help us otherwise we will stage a demonstration," Sanjana added.
"The government has said that nobody should remain hungry amid this crisis, it implies for these people too (transgender). The only mode of income for the third gender is by travelling in trains, at traffic signals etc but now that everything is shut, they sometimes only eat one meal a day. The government should provide money in their account or at least ration," said Atish Behera, a social worker helping the transgender community in the district.
The social worker, helping the transgenders on-ground, also told OrissaPost that the members mostly live in the slum areas and are unaware of the concept of social distancing. He also said that around 10-15 of them are crammed in one room.
Also Read: Record 212 Environment, Land Activists Killed In 2019: Watchdog
Must Reads
We are an independent and public-spirited digital media platform for Indian millennials. We report news and issues that matter as well as give you the opportunity to take action.
