TNI Bureau: The Odisha government has reconstituted the State Transgender Welfare Board and changed its chairperson within two days of issuing the first notification.

A notification issued on April 21 had named Chief Secretary Anu Garg as the chairperson of the board. However, the Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (SSEPD) Department later requested that the notification be cancelled.

Following this, the government issued a fresh notification on April 23 and appointed SSEPD Minister Nityananda Gond as the chairperson of the board.

Sources said the minister was unhappy with the earlier decision to replace the departmental minister with the Chief Secretary as board chairperson. After the department’s request, the earlier notification was withdrawn and a new one was issued the same day.

The revised board now includes the Principal Secretary of the SSEPD Department as Vice-Chairperson and the department’s Director as Member Secretary.

Other members include the Director General of Police, Collectors of Bolangir, Angul and Khordha, representatives of different departments, two transgender members—Dipti Ranjan Mahapatra and Soumya Das—and representatives from Bhubaneswar TG Suraksha Trust and Chetana organisation of Balugaon.

The board is responsible for protecting the rights of transgender persons and ensuring their welfare in the state.