Rajasthan to reserve 2% houses under govt schemes for transgenders

Agreeing to the long-pending demand, the Rajasthan government has decided to reserve 2% houses for transgenders in all the housing schemes to be launched by Rajasthan Housing Board (RHB), development authorities and urban improvement trusts (UIT). The notification is expected to be released on Monday as it has received a nod from the urban development and housing (UDH) minister Shrichand Kriplani. The UDH department, in the poll-bound year, has amended the Urban Land Disposal Rules, 1974 to make provision for 2% reservation for transgenders in housing schemes that will be launched on government land. An official at UDH told TOI, “The state government received a proposal a year ago from the transgender community. After amending the rules, provision of reservation was done for them. Earlier, reservation was also made in housing schemes for the differently-abled.” The UDH department, in the land-use committee meeting on Monday, will also decide on alloting land to charitable trusts, social, educational, caste and religious groups. The applicants had earlier requested the state government for allotment of land at concessional rates as per Land Allotment Policy, 2015. Sources claimed the government has also decided to reinstate land allotment at concessional rates — made originally by the previous Congress government — to various castes and communities. The present government had put 61 land allotments made by the previous government under scanner after coming to power in 2013. These allotments, made in favour of different castes and communities, have now been given the green signal to garner votes ahead of polls.