Hyderabad, Mar 2 (TNT): The National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRDPR), in collaboration with the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI) of the Canada High Commission, organised a national-level consultative workshop on “Advancing Sustainable Wage-based Livelihood Opportunities for Transgender and Gender-diverse Communities in Rural India” here on Monday.
The workshop marked the culmination of a series of field-level research and interventions undertaken under the CFLI project and brought together stakeholders, policymakers, academicians, gender rights activists, sector skill councils, livelihood experts, employers and community leaders to shape strategies for strengthening sustainable livelihood opportunities for rural transgender persons.
Ms Sumita Dawra, former Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India, delivered the inaugural address and unveiled “Trans-Aapti”, a web portal developed under the project for livelihood aptitude assessment, maintaining a live repository of successful livelihood initiatives by transgender persons and documenting success stories.
In her address, she urged NIRDPR to explore convergence with Central government schemes and leverage opportunities available on the National Career Services portal of the Ministry of Labour and Employment.
She also suggested integrating the Trans-Aapti aptitude assessment tool with the National Career Services portal to widen outreach and impact.
Representatives of CFLI said Canada remains committed to advancing inclusive and dignified livelihood opportunities for transgender and gender-diverse communities and expressed pride in partnering with NIRDPR on the initiative.
The deliberations covered legal and policy frameworks, implementation mechanisms, the role of self-help groups (SHGs), formal employment avenues, enterprise development, the potential for forming cooperatives, as well as key challenges and enabling factors in building a robust livelihood ecosystem.
Anchored in the broader vision of inclusive rural development, the workshop sought to bridge the gap between progressive legislation and ground-level employment realities, particularly for transgender persons in rural and peri-urban areas.
Participants included representatives from the Home Management and Care Givers Sector Skill Council, National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), RSETI, Institute of Cooperative Management, Visa Hospitality & Foundation, SAATHII, Lakshya Trust, PLEQSUS India Foundation, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), NALSAR University of Law, and leaders of community-based organisations.
Ravi Sreedharan, Founder and President of the Indian School of Development Management, delivered the valedictory address.
TNT TS
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