Chennai, Jan 13 (NationPress) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Tuesday conferred appointment orders to seven transgender individuals in a significant act, heralding the official induction of 50 transgender officers into the Tamil Nadu Home Guards as stated in an official release. The chosen individuals have completed specialized training to equip them for their duties within the state's auxiliary security force.

This initiative to incorporate transgender personnel into the Home Guards aligns with the launch of the State Policy for Transgender Persons 2025, which aims to create employment opportunities for the transgender community across various government sectors.

The policy underscores the right to self-identification and suggests reforms to succession laws to ensure inheritance rights are granted to the community.

According to official statistics, the government has supported more than 811 transgender individuals with self-employment subsidies since 2021. These subsidies, amounting to Rs 50,000, assist beneficiaries in starting small enterprises and trade units.

Recently, the state raised the monthly pensions for the community to Rs 1,500 and continued the Puthumai Penn scholarship of Rs 1,000 for transgender students.

During this event, the Chief Minister also distributed checks for the increased Pongal financial assistance, now set at Rs 2,000.

Twelve beneficiaries, including retired personnel and family pensioners from temples overseen by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR and CE) Department, received this aid.

For the first time, the government extended this financial support to individuals who are receiving pensions and family pensions through the Employees' Provident Fund (EPF) system. Concurrently, CM Stalin highlighted significant achievements in the state's employment sector.

On behalf of the Labour Welfare and Skill Development Department, CM Stalin presented an appointment order to the 300,000th candidate placed through the state's extensive private-sector job fairs. These fairs, organized by the Employment and Training Department, create opportunities for youth in various private industries.

The distribution of financial aid coincides with the forthcoming January harvest festival. This follows the state's recent launch of a Rs 3,000 cash assistance package along with gift hampers containing rice, sugar, and sugarcane.

The relief initiatives are reaching over 2.2 crore ration card holders statewide, specifically benefiting low-income families and farming communities.