Key Points:
- Vaanya foundation’s founder and a BJP corporator, Rekha Thakur helped Neeta Keni, the president of Kinnar Asmita – an NGO to get the paperwork done and started the shelter home.
- Kalyan’s BJP MLA Ganpat Gaikwad helped the transgender in getting the space and inaugurated the Shelter Home.
- “We had been planning to open a shelter home for transgender persons since the last four-five years. A year ago, a proposal was made for the same to NISD, and now the shelter home is ready and we are running it,” said Neeta Kene, 43, president of NGO Kinnar Asmita.
June is known and being celebrated as the PRIDE month of the year so as to raise support and awareness about the LGTBQ in the world.
India has also been celebrating the month as a step towards acceptance of the Community in the country.
Amidst this, the state of Maharashtra has built its first ever Shelter home for Transgenders. The shelter was inaugurated in Ulhasnagar on Friday. The LGBTQ members who have been neglected by their own families and society will be sheltered here.
The home currently has a 25 Bed facility and the move was supported and inaugurated by the government of Maharashtra and Kinnar Asmita and Non-government organisation working for transgender.
58 year-old Urmila Kamble, a transgender from Ambernath, was searching for a shelter after her retirement as a sweeper at Ambernath Municipal Council (AMC). Previously, she lived with her family but they weren’t supportive of her. While in search, She used to live with her relatives and family members, but was not supported by them. The newly opened dedicated shelter home for members of the transgender community came as a relief to her.
“My family members neglected me after the retirement. I used to stay with them but somehow I wanted to leave and be independent. I retired four years ago, and since then it was a struggle on a daily basis. The shelter home comes as a major blessing to me. Now I don’t have to worry about being asked to move out,” said Kamble as reported by Hindustan Times.
Vaanya foundation’s founder and a BJP corporator, Rekha Thakur helped Neeta Keni, the president of Kinnar Asmita – an NGO to get the paperwork done and started the shelter home.
Kalyan’s BJP MLA Ganpat Gaikwad helped the transgender in getting the space.
Garima Greh is the name of the shelter that is the first one for transgender persons in Maharashtra, of the three sanctioned so far. It has been set up by the National Institute of Social Defence (NISD) and is presently home to 35 residents from various places of the state and country.
“We had been planning to open a shelter home for transgender persons since the last four-five years. A year ago, a proposal was made for the same to NISD, and now the shelter home is ready and we are running it,” said Neeta Kene, 43, president of NGO Kinnar Asmita, HT reported.
Adding in about the situation of the Transgenders in the society, Neeta said, “There are several transgender who end up either begging or doing sex work. They do it due to the situations they face. We are trying to find out such people and bring them to the shelter.”
Vaanya foundation’s Rekha Thakur contributed computers to the shelter home in order to educate the trans and help them earn a living.
Rekha said, “It’s a rental base hall with 25 beds. There will be help from the government in paying rent and food. It’s just like the government shelter home for women and students. In the coming days as per the requirement beds will be increased. It was a much desired and awaited project of enabling transgenders to earn their livelihood and help in further education.”
