ATWB to form taskforce to identify fake transgender in Assam

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: Guwahati and other urban areas in the state have been teeming with fake transgender. They flock to city bus stops, police points and national highways and make easy money. And this unhealthy development has worried the Assam Transgender Welfare Board (ATWB).

Talking to The Sentinel, ATWB's associate vice president Swati Bidhan Baruah said, "We have taken this development seriously. We will form a task force comprising representatives from the Assam Transgender Welfare Board, Central government agencies and the State Government. The task will collect the details of the fake transgender. If it finds any anomalies, it will lodge cases with the Assam Transgender Welfare Board.

"According to the information I have, in Guwahati alone, there is an eight per cent rise in the number of transgender in the past two years. And 95 per cent of these fake transgender are Bengali-speaking Muslims hailing from Goalpara, Mankachar, Barpeta etc. They have a force with doubtful credentials behind them. "The State Government is imparting skill development training to genuine transgender for their rehabilitation through financial packages. Such trainings go on in Guwahati, Bongaigaon and Dhubri. The fake transgender people don't want to undergo such training. They are out to earn money through other means.

"According to government records, the state has around 25,000 transgender. However, around 30,000 transgender seem to roam around in the state now. The extra 5,000 are fake ones. They have children and families."

Also Read: Transgenders' Welfare Board Demands Arrest of Fake Transgender in Assam

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