Page 47 - NIS - English,16-30 September,2022

Sankalp Yatra of New India Cover Story

42

Passport offices used to be known
n
for their long queues, prolonged
appointment wait times, and frequent
office visits. You can now submit
an online application for it on the
Passport Seva website.
There are now 521 Passport Seva
n
Kendras nationwide, including 424
Post Office Passport Seva Kendras,
compared to 2014 when there were
only 77 Kendras.
Prior to 2014, it took an average of 16
n
days to obtain a passport. Today, it
takes just 5 days to get a passport.

43 EMPOWERMENT OF
TRANSGENDER 44

n Census 2011 shows 4,87,803 people in PM SVANidhi...
the category of others, which includes
transgender people.
n In order to protect the rights and welfare
of transgender people, the provisions of Means of re-generation of
the "Transgender Persons (Protection of
Rights) Act 2019" came into force with employment for street vendors
effect from January 10, 2020.

n In February 2022, the Ministry prepared a n There are lakhs of such street
scheme named "Smile", which includes vendors in the country who sell fruits,
a sub-scheme for the welfare and vegetables or set up small shops on
rehabilitation of transgender people. This is the first the street in rural or urban areas. But in
A plan has been made to impart skill time that lakhs 70 years of independence, no scheme
development training to them. of street vendors was launched for their welfare.
n In November 2020, the National Portal are directly n Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched
for Transgender People was launched. the PM SVANidhi Yojana on June
Without visiting the office, transgender connected to 1, 2020, when this class was most
applicants can obtain identification the system, so affected amidst the COVID lockdown.
documentation and an identity card. that they can Up to Rs 10,000 in loans is given to

n Twelve Garima Grih pilot shelter homes start getting its street vendors under this scheme.
for transgender people have opened in benefits. n More than 38 lakh loan applications
Gujarat, Maharashtra, Delhi, West Bengal, -Narendra Modi, have been approved so far, and an
Rajasthan, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Tamil Prime Minister amount of more than Rs 3,843 crore
Nadu, and Odisha. has been released.
New India Samachar September 16-30, 2022 45