The Telangana High Court has directed the state government to provide free food, ration and medicines to the transgender community without insistence on a ration card.
The division bench comprising of Justice Chief Justice Raghvendra Singh Chauhan and Justice A Abhishek Reddy gave the directions while hearing a petition filed by Vyjayanti Mogli.
The Telangana HC said,
“The state government is directed to ensure that these commodities are given to the members of the transgender community free of cost and without insisting on the production of ration card/white card etc.”
The petition had prayed for directions to the government to provide rations including vegetables and fruits to members of the transgender community from ration shops without insisting for the production of Ration card.
The court observed, Provide Free of cost medicines to transgender persons including HIV medications, hormone therapy medicines, diabetes and other medications to be made available to transgender persons from primary health centres and from government and public hospitals. Allow transgender persons to apply for and provide the payment of three months social security pension to transgender persons under the Aasara scheme, provide free LPG cylinders and waive electricity bill lor 6 months to transgender persons in the lines of the similar assurance for 3 months under the PM Garib Kalyan Yojana.
The plea had further sought directions to authorities to extend the Aarogyashri govemment medical insurance to transgender persons and the Aarogyashri including the health challenges of COVID-19. While it also prayed that appropriate action be taken against those who are targeting the Transgender Persons by falsely labelling them in public as the potential carriers of HIV positive and Corona-Virus and consequently to protect them by providing appropriate security in all public places.
While directing Advocate General B.S. Prasad, to submit a report with regard to the number of transgenders living in the major cities of the State, concrete steps being taken by the State Government for ensuring that the members of the transgender community have ready availability of foodgrains, consumable items, and medicines as per their need and requirements, and the number of NGOS with which the Government is coordinating in order to ensure that all the essential commodities do reach the transgender community through these NGOs.
The court has directed the learned Advocate General to submit the report on or before May 08, 2020. The court would further hear the case on May 11.
