Initiatives for Transgender Persons: Garima Greh

Recently, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has launched the National Portal for Transgender Persons and inaugurated Garima Greh, a shelter home for transgender persons.

National Portal for Transgender Persons:

• It has been launched in consonance with the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Rules, 2020.
• It would help transgenders in digitally applying for a certificate and identity card from anywhere in the country, thus preventing any physical interaction with officials.
• It will help them track the status of application, rejection, grievance redressal, etc. which will ensure transparency in the process.
• The issuing authorities are also under strict timelines to process the applications and issue certificates and I-cards without any necessary delays.

Garima Greh:

• It has been opened in Vadodara, Gujarat and will be run in association with the Lakshya Trust, a community-based organisation entirely run by transgenders.
• The Scheme of ‘Shelter Home for Transgender Persons’ includes shelter facility, food, clothing, recreational facilities, skill development opportunities, yoga, physical fitness, library facilities, legal support, technical advice for gender transition and surgeries, and capacity building of trans-friendly organizations, employment, etc.
• The scheme will rehabilitate a minimum of 25 transgender persons in each home identified by the Ministry.
• 10 cities have been identified to set up the 13 Shelter Homes.

Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Rules, 2020

• The Central Government made the rules under the powers conferred by the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019.
• The Act came into effect on 10th January 2020, which is the first concrete step towards ensuring the welfare of transgender persons.
• The rules seek to recognise the identity of transgenders and prohibit discrimination in the fields of education, employment, healthcare, holding or disposing of property, holding public or private office and access to and use of public services and benefits.

Background:

• In 2014, the Supreme Court of India, in the case of the National Legal Services Authority versus Union of India, established the foundation for the rights of transgender persons in India by recognising ‘transgender’ as a ‘third gender’ and laying down several measures for the prohibition of discrimination against transgender persons and protection of their rights.
• The judgment recommended reservations for transgenders in jobs and educational institutions and their right to declare their self-perceived gender identity without undergoing a sex reassignment surgery.

Key Features of the Law Relating to Transgender Persons:

Definitions:

Definitions of ‘person with intersex variation’ and ‘transgender person’ have been provided to include trans men and trans women (whether or not such person has undergone sex reassignment surgery, hormone or other therapy).

Non-discrimination:

• It prohibits the discrimination of transgender persons at educational establishments, in employment or occupational opportunities, healthcare services and access to public facilities and benefits.
• It further reinforces a transgender person's right to movement, right to reside, rent, or otherwise occupy the property.

Certificate of Identity:

• It provides for a right to self-perceived gender identity and casts an obligation on the district magistrate to issue a ‘certificate of identity as a transgender person, without the requirement of any medical or physical examination.
• If the transgender person undergoes medical intervention to change sex either as a male or female and requires a revised identity certificate then they would need to apply to the district magistrate along with a certificate issued by the medical superintendent or chief medical officer of the concerned hospital.

Equal Opportunity Policy:

• Every establishment has been mandated to formulate an equal opportunity policy for transgender persons with certain specific information as prescribed under the law.
• This will help create inclusive establishments like inclusive education, etc.
• The process of inclusion also requires creation of infrastructure facilities like separate wards in hospitals and washrooms (unisex toilets).

Complaint Officer:

• Every establishment has been mandated to designate a person as a complaint officer to handle complaints from transgender persons.

Transgender Protection Cell:

• Every state government will also have to set up a Transgender Protection Cell under District Magistrate and Director general of Police to monitor offence against transgender persons.

Welfare schemes:

• The government has been mandated to formulate welfare schemes and programs which are transgender  sensitive,  non-stigmatising and non-discriminatory.

Medical Care Facilities:

• The government has been mandated to set up separate Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) sero-surveillance centres to conduct sero-surveillance for transgender persons; provide medical care facilities including sex reassignment surgery and hormonal therapy, and provide coverage of medical expenses by a comprehensive insurance scheme for surgeries and other therapies.

National Council for Transgender Persons:

• Constitution of the NCT to advise the government for the formulation and monitoring of policies and redress the grievances of transgender persons.

Offences and Penalties:

• Offences, like indulging transgender persons in forced or bonded labour or denial of access to public places or physical, emotional or sexual abuse.
• Other offences committed under the provisions of the Transgender Persons Act, are punishable with imprisonment for a term of at least six months, extending up to two years along with a fine.

Ministry has initiated 12 pilot shelter homes namely Garima Greh: for Transgender Persons and provided financial assistance to community-based organizations (CBOs) for setting up of these shelter homes. These pilot shelter homes are located in the States of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Delhi, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu and Odisha.

The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has formulated a scheme “SMILE - Support for Marginalized Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise”, which includes a sub-scheme -‘Comprehensive Rehabilitation for Welfare of Transgender Persons. One of the components of the sub-scheme is the setting up of Garima Grehs (Shelter Home for Transgender Persons) with the aim of setting up of atleast one Garima Greh in each State.

  One Garima Greh is already functional at Jaipur in the state of Rajasthan.

National Wind-Solar Hybrid Policy

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy issued the National Wind-Solar Hybrid Policy on 14th May 2018.

• The main objective of the National Wind Solar Hybrid Policy is to provide a framework for the promotion of large grid-connected wind-solar PV hybrid systems for optimal and efficient utilization of wind and solar resources, transmission infrastructure and land.
• A scheme for setting up of 2500 MW Inter-State Transmission System (ISTS) connected wind solar hybrid projects was sanctioned on 25.05.2018.
• In order to promote hybrid renewable energy technologies, Solar Energy Corporation of India Ltd. (SECI) has brought out tenders, viz. Solar-Wind Hybrid Projects, with assured supply during peak hours and Round Clock (RTC) renewable Power.

The Government has taken several steps to promote renewable energy, including wind-solar hybrid renewable energy, in the country.

These include:

• permitting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) up to 100 per cent under the automatic route,
• waiver of Inter-State Transmission System (ISTS) charges for inter-state sale of solar and
• wind power for projects to be commissioned by 30th June 2025,
• declaration of trajectory for Renewable Purchase Obligation (RPO) up to the year 2022,
• setting up Ultra Mega Renewable Energy Parks to provide land and transmission to RE developers on a plug-and-play basis,
• laying of new transmission lines and creating new sub-station capacity for evacuation of renewable power,
• setting up of Project Development Cell for attracting and facilitating investments,
• Standard Bidding Guidelines for tariff-based competitive bidding process for procurement of Power from Grid Connected Solar PV, Wind and wind-solar hybrid Projects.
• The government has issued orders that power shall be dispatched against Letter of Credit (LC) or
• advance payment to ensure timely payment by distribution licensees to RE generators.
• Conducting skill development programs to create a pool of skilled manpower for implementation, operation, and maintenance of RE projects.

Under the Ministry’s Renewable Energy Research and Technology Development Programme, various research institutions and industries are provided financial support for carrying out renewable energy research including the development of new technologies like hybrid solar-wind technologies. The Ministry encourages research and technology development proposals in collaboration with the industry and provides up to 100% financial support to Government/non-profit research organizations and up to 50% to Industry, startups and Private Institutes.

A research project entitled “Integrated Wind and Solar Resource Assessment through Mapping and Measurements” has been sanctioned to the National Institute of Wind Energy, Chennai with a total cost of Rs 17.99 crore. Under this project, integrated wind-solar measurement stations at 23 locations have been commissioned and a Solar Wind hybrid map has been prepared.

How to promote Renewable Energy Sources in India?

At present, the Government has set a target for achieving 175 GW of Renewable Energy capacity by the year 2022. A total of 150 GW of renewable energy capacity (including large hydro) has been installed in the country to date. Further, projects of 63.64 GW capacity are under various stages of implementation and 32.06 GW capacity are under various stages of bidding. Therefore, a total of 245.70 GW capacity has either been installed or under various stages of implementation /bidding.

The Government has taken several steps to promote renewable energy sources in the Country. These include:-

• Permitting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) up to 100 per cent under the automatic route,
• Waiver of Inter-State Transmission System (ISTS) charges for inter-state sale of solar and wind power for projects to be commissioned by 30th June 2025,
• Laying of new transmission lines and creating new sub-station capacity for evacuation of renewable power,
• Declaration of trajectory for Renewable Purchase Obligation (RPO) up to the year 2022,
• Setting up of RE parks to provide land and transmission to RE developers on a plug-and-play basis,
• Schemes such as Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (PMKUSUM), Solar Rooftop Phase II, 12000 MW CPSU Scheme Phase II, etc,
• Notification of standards for deployment of solar photovoltaic systems/devices,
• Setting up of Project Development Cell for attracting and facilitating investments,
• Standard Bidding Guidelines for tariff-based competitive bidding for procurement of Power from Grid Connected Solar PV and Wind Projects.
• The government has issued orders that power shall be dispatched against Letter of Credit (LC) or advance payment to ensure timely payment by distribution licensees to RE generators.
• Green Term Ahead Market (GTAM) was launched to facilitate procurement of RE power through power exchange in the country.

Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (AB-HIM)

• In the Budget speech of FY 21-22, ‘Prime Minister Atmanirbhar Swasth Bharat Yojana’ (PMASBY) scheme which has now been renamed PM – Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM) was announced on 1st February 2021, with an outlay of about Rs. 64,180 Cr over six years (till FY 25-26).
• This scheme is in addition to the National Health Mission.

• The measures under the scheme focus on developing capacities of health systems and institutions across the continuum of care at all levels viz. primary, secondary and tertiary and on preparing health systems in responding effectively to the current and future pandemics/disasters.
• The Mission targets to build an IT enabled disease surveillance system by developing a network of surveillance laboratories at block, district, regional and national levels, in Metropolitan areas & strengthening health units at the Points of Entry, for effectively detecting, investigating, preventing, and combating Public Health Emergencies and Disease Outbreaks.

The components of the PM Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM) scheme are:

1) Centrally Sponsored Components:

• Support for 17,788 rural Health and Wellness Centres in 10 High Focus States.
• Establishing 11,024 urban Health and Wellness Centres in all the States.
• 3382 Block Public Health Units in 11 High Focus states. Support for other States/UTs under XV Finance Commission Health Sector Grants and NHM.
• Setting up of Integrated Public Health Labs in all districts.
• Establishing Critical Care Hospital Blocks in all districts with population more than 5 lakhs.

2) Central Sector Components

• 12 Central Institutions as training and mentoring sites with 150 bedded Critical Care Hospital Blocks;
• Strengthening of the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), 5 New Regional NCDCs and 20 metropolitan health surveillance units;
• Expansion of the Integrated Health Information Portal to all States/UTs to connect all public health labs;
• Operationalisation of 17 new Public Health Units and strengthening of 33 existing Public Health Units at Points of Entry, that is at 32 Airports, 11 Seaports and 7 land crossings;
• Setting up of 15 Health Emergency Operation Centres and 2 container-based mobile hospitals; and
• Setting up of a national institution for One Health, 4 New National Institutes for Virology, a Regional Research Platform for WHO South-East Asia Region and 9 Bio-Safety Level III laboratories.

The National Health Mission is envisaged to establish a fully functional, community-owned, decentralized health delivery system with inter-sectoral convergence at all levels. NHM aims to provide universal access to equitable, affordable and quality health care mainly focusing on primary and secondary care. However, PM-ABHIM is the largest pan-India scheme for strengthening healthcare infrastructure across the country which focuses on the primary, secondary and tertiary care services. The major aim of PM-ABHIM to establish a health system which is responding effectively to the future pandemics/disasters.

Under the scheme, there is a provision for setting up of Integrated Public Health Labs (IPHLs) in all 730 districts across the country (upto FY 2025-26) with the outlay of Rs 1482.60 Crore which includes Rs 990.40 Crore as Central Share and Rs 492.20 Crore as State Share.