Despite government promises, Trans Indians are still waiting months for certificates that will enable them to get gender-affirming attention. ( Getty )
According to reports, thousands of trans people in India are waiting months for a document that will enable them to get gender-affirming care.
Over 3,200 applications had to wait more than 30 days to get an ID card and transgender certificate, according to statistics compiled by the nation’s Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
Transgender ID cards are nationally recognized papers in India that must be obtained in order to receive gender-affirming and legal gender identification services.
In response to Lok Sabha MP Jayadev Galla’s ask for the information, the information was shared. It revealed that the government had received 24, 115 uses in full in late 2023, and that 15, 800 credentials had been issued.
India’s state of Maharashtra received the highest number of applications, 3,483, as well as the most credentials, 2,478.
According to the statistics, 3, 225 ID programs were still pending after more than a month, and 4, 307 uses had apparently been rejected.
The government is required to issue trans certificates within 30 days as part of the nation’s Enterprise ( SMILE ) program, which aims to support trans people and is called Support for Marginalized Individuals for Livelihood&.
Given that it can take up to four weeks to get access to gender-affirming care in India, the delays mean that some candidates may have to wait as long as six months before getting hormones.
Abbaiah Narayanaswamy, the secretary for social justice and independence, stated that the National Institute of Social Defence, a division of the Ministry, was working on “awareness programs” that he thought would “reduce the pendency” to address the waiting periods.
The government also vowed to raise awareness of the program for trans citizens, stressing the significance of obtaining a trans certificate in order to get gender-affirming services and submit applications for surgeries.
Along with the establishment of the National Council for Transgender Persons, which is in charge of overseeing support for trans people in India, the SMILE plan was implemented in 2020.
The Council has vowed to promote awareness and responsiveness coaching in India and training programs for transgender and non-binary people to support them financially and freely in addition to issuing ID tickets within 30 days.
The program, according to Narayanaswamy in a statement posted on the Council’s website, aims to reduce poverty among transgender people in India by offering them” complete treatment,” which includes counseling, knowledge, skill development, and more.
