The Transgender Welfare Board of Chandigarh, India Tuesday alerted the High Court of Punjab and Haryana that a scheme for providing shelter for transgender individuals will be implemented in the union territory shortly. The scheme is known as Garima Grah.

The scheme stems from a petition filed by post-graduate student Ashish–who identifies themselves by the alias Yashika. Yashika filed the petition before the Punjab and Haryana High Court because they were aggrieved by the non-availability of appropriate residential facilities for transgender individuals at Panjab University, Chandigarh.

The court previously issued an order in response to Yashika on November 16. In the order Judge Sudhir Mittal observed that, notwithstanding the petitioner being accommodated at the Working Women’s Hostel, “the right of the petitioner against discrimination was violated as was the right to acquire education at par with others.” The court also remarked that “it was essential to ensure that bodies such as the Transgender Welfare Board of UT [union territory] acquire teeth and do not remain cosmetic features.”

The Transgender Welfare Board is a statutory body constituted under Section 8 of the Transgender Persons Act 2019 read with Rule 7 of the Transgender Persons Rules 2020. The laws establish that state governments ought to take welfare measures to protect the rights and interests of transgender persons and facilitate their access to welfare schemes.

Chairman of the Transgender Welfare Board Amit Kumar also informed the court that a “scheme for the provision of insurance cover for sex reassignment surgery is also being deliberated upon,” with its benefits and location to avail the schemes. The board did not say when the scheme would be finalized.