Bhubaneswar: In a significant step towards inclusive growth, the Odisha Government has constituted a State Transgender Welfare Board to ensure the welfare and protection of transgender persons.

The board will be chaired by the Chief Secretary, with the Principal Secretary/Commissioner-cum-Secretary of the SSEPD Department serving as Vice-Chairperson. The Director of SSEPD will act as the Member Secretary.
According to a notification issued by the Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (SSEPD) Department, the board will comprise 16 members.

The board has been formed under Rule 10(1) of the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Rules, 2020, with the aim of safeguarding the rights of transgender persons, in line with the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019.

Members of the board will include the Director General of Police (DGP), Additional Secretary of SSEPD, and representatives from key departments such as Women & Child Development (W&CD), Health & Family Welfare (H&FW), Panchayati Raj & Drinking Water (PR&DW), Housing & Urban Development (H&UD), Skill Development & Technical Education (SD&TE), Higher Education, and School & Mass Education.

Collectors of Balangir, Angul, and Khurda districts will also be part of the board. In addition, representatives from TG Surakhya Trust, Bhubaneswar, and Chetana, Balugaon have been included.

Notably, Dipti Mohapatra, Odisha’s first transgender PhD holder, and transgender rights activist Soumya Das have also been appointed as members, the notification added.

The initiative is expected to strengthen institutional support for the transgender community and ensure better implementation of welfare measures across the state.