Lekha G
Madras High Court recorded submissions of Advocate General R. Shunmugasundaram that the State Government would “Sympathetically consider” the plea to distribute Covid-19 cash relief of INR 4000 to the transgender community without insisting on ration cards.
The petition filed by transgender rights activist, Grace Banu Ganeshan sought the State Government to extend cash benefits to transgenders that the State had extended to ration card holders.
It was also submitted that the Board constituted under the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019 to register and issue identity cards to transgenders in the State had stopped functioning and the transgender community are illiterate, lacking enough knowledge to use the online portal issuing the Transgender Identity Card as per the new law.
In this regard, “The State Government should take a decision in such regard and come to the aid of the transgenders who require immediate relief. Let this matter appear on June 7, 2021 for the State Government to indicate if any measures have been taken in such regard,” the Court remarked.