The Odisha government has initiated new measures aimed at eliminating discrimination against the transgender community within the state’s recruitment processes. In a directive issued to all government departments, authorities have emphasised the inclusion of “transgender” as a distinct gender category in official recruitment examination forms.
The Social Security & Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (SSEPD) department, under the guidance of commissioner-cum-secretary RS Gopalan, has formally urged departmental heads to revise their application procedures. These changes are intended to ensure that ‘third gender’ or ‘any other category’ options are provided for candidates, both in online and offline application formats.
Departments have been instructed to amend relevant examination guidelines and create a separate column or box for transgender applicants wherever gender details are collected. This reform is expected to make the application process more inclusive for transgender individuals seeking government employment opportunities.
These actions are rooted in the requirements of the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019. Specifically, Sections 9 and 10 of the Act prohibit any form of employment-based discrimination towards transgender persons, including in recruitment, promotions, and other employment aspects. The law permits individuals to self-identify their gender and stipulates that recognition as transgender shall be granted upon presentation of a certificate of identity issued by the district magistrate.
Although departments were initially instructed to revise their examination rules in 2020 to comply with the Act, not all had implemented the changes by then. This recent directive serves as a reminder to departments that non-compliance is unacceptable and that recruitment rules must align with national legal standards for the protection of transgender rights.
This renewed push underscores Odisha’s ongoing efforts to foster a more inclusive public sector, by both state priorities and national legal obligations.
