New Delhi: In a meeting of the National Council for Transgender Persons, its members raised the necessity of building unisex toilets, setting up shelter homes and distributing Ayushman Cards, among others, officials of the Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry said on Monday (February 19). In response, the ministry emphasised its commitment to addressing these issues. The primary goal of the meeting of the National Council for Transgender Persons (NCTP) was to confront the challenges faced by transgender individuals, encompassing issues concerning education, life with dignity, health support, opportunities for livelihood and skill enhancement.
An official said,
Specific concerns raised included the necessity for unisex toilets, distribution of Ayushman Cards, establishment of shelter homes, and provision of Garima Greh.
Discussions were also held on the transgender portal that has been envisioned as a centralised platform to streamline access to resources and support services thereby facilitating ease of navigation for transgender individuals across various aspects of their lives.
A council member said,
As discussions progressed, it became evident that concerted efforts are required to overcome the barriers hindering the full realisation of rights and opportunities for transgender individuals.
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(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via the Banega Swachh India initiative, which in its Season 10 is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Ayushmann Khurrana. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – the LGBTQ population, indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In a world post COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fight malnutrition, mental well-being, self-care, science and health, adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, which is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.
