Transgender community in Odisha to receive pension under Madhu Babu Pension Yojana

In a piece of encouraging news, the Odisha Government on Thursday included transgender community under Madhu Babu Pension Yojana (MBPY), a social security scheme which provides financial assistance to poor elderly, differently-abled persons and widows in the state. Under MBPY scheme, nearly 5,000 transgenders will receive Rs 500, Rs 700 and 900 per month as pension under various categories depending on their age.

On July 16, the Department of Social security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (SSEPD) issued an official notification in this regard. The SSEPD department Minister Ashok Chandra Panda said that women who are fighting divorce cases in courts have also been included in the MBPY scheme on the direction of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

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Beneficiaries under MBPY

The Odisha government added a new criterion to include transgender as one of the eligible categories by amending to Rule 6 of the Madhu Babu Pension Rules 2008, the notification read. The beneficiaries are required to have a certificate issued under Section 6 of the Transgender Persons Act 2019. The scheme applies to those individuals whose annual income is less than Rs 40,000, who is not a member paying income tax or working as a government servant.

As per the SSEPD department, around 48 lakh people in Odisha are benefitted under the MBPY social welfare scheme.

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(With inputs from agency)

(Image credits: PTI)