Rs 265 crore allotted for rehabilitation, welfare of transgenders

Q: Whether the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) maintains statistics of crimes against sexual minorities like transgenders as a separate category? Whether the Centre can enlist the interventions taken to reduce crime against the transgender people and their budgetary allocation.

Tirupati MP Dr M. Gurumurthy

A: The NCRB compiles and publishes statistical data on crimes in its publication “Crime in India”. The total number of crime-head wise cases registered in 2020 were 42,54,356, involving 38,29,447 male, female and transgender victims. The total number of transgender victims under cognizable IPC crimes during the year 2020 was 236.

The ministry of social justice & empowerment has enacted the ‘Transgender Persons’ (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019 and thereafter Act rules have been formulated. Under the Act, any act of violence, mental or physical, against a transgender person is punishable. The responsibilities to maintain law and order, protection of life and property of the citizens including investigation and prosecution of crime against transgenders rest with the respective state governments, which are competent to deal with such offences under the extant provisions of laws.

Ministry of social justice and empowerment has launched a scheme SMILE-Support for Marginalised Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise, which includes sub-scheme 'Comprehensive Rehabilitation for Welfare of transgender persons. The focus of the sub-scheme is on rehabilitation, provision of medical facilities and intervention, counselling, education, skill development, economic linkages to the transgender persons. The total budget of sub-scheme for welfare of transgender Persons' is Rs 265 crores from the financial years 2021-22 to 2025-26.

Ajay Kumar Mishra, minister of state in the ministry of home affairs