GUWAHATI, Oct 28 - A total of 42 transgender candidates have filled up forms to appear in the Combined Competitive (Preliminary) Examination, 2020, conducted by the Assam Public Service Commission (APSC) for recruitment to the posts of ACS junior grade and other allied services.
The APSC, incidentally, is the first state public service commission of the country to introduce transgender as an option in the gender category of its examination form. The Union Public Service Commission has already introduced the option in its recruitment process.
Notably, through an addendum issued on September 15, the APSC, for the first time, has included transgender as a category of gender in the application form of the examination.
As per the 2011 census, Assam has a transgender population of 11,374 with 53.69 per cent literacy rate.
The last date for online submission of the application for the examination was October 25. APSC chairman Pallav Bhattacharya said that a total of 83,251 candidates have filed up the form this time for the examination.
�It is really a good news for the community, because 42 is not a small number in comparison to the present socio-economic status of the transgender people in Assam. The APSC is the first state public service commission of the country to introduce transgender as a gender category in its application form,� transgender activist Swati Bidhan Baruah told The Assam Tribune.
On September 9, Baruah, who is also holding the post of associate vice chairperson of the Assam State Transgender Welfare Board, wrote to the APSC chairman requesting him to constitute an expert committee to advise the APSC in formulating a policy for empowering and recruiting transgender persons, including reservations, and also urged him to republish the advertisement of the Combined Competitive (Preliminary) Examination, 2020.
In the letter, Baruah cited the directives of the Supreme Court in connection with the case of the National Legal Services Authority versus Union of India.
Meanwhile, Baruah further said that introduction of transgender in the gender category is not enough to give justice to the community. �There is an urgent need to introduce a standard operating procedure (SOP) so that no fake transgender can avail the benefit in recruitment examinations of APSC. Moreover, there should be a proper policy regarding reservation, too,� Baruah added.
GUWAHATI, Oct 28 - A total of 42 transgender candidates have filled up forms to appear in the Combined Competitive (Preliminary) Examination, 2020, conducted by the Assam Public Service Commission (APSC) for recruitment to the posts of ACS junior grade and other allied services.
The APSC, incidentally, is the first state public service commission of the country to introduce transgender as an option in the gender category of its examination form. The Union Public Service Commission has already introduced the option in its recruitment process.
Notably, through an addendum issued on September 15, the APSC, for the first time, has included transgender as a category of gender in the application form of the examination.
As per the 2011 census, Assam has a transgender population of 11,374 with 53.69 per cent literacy rate.
The last date for online submission of the application for the examination was October 25. APSC chairman Pallav Bhattacharya said that a total of 83,251 candidates have filed up the form this time for the examination.
�It is really a good news for the community, because 42 is not a small number in comparison to the present socio-economic status of the transgender people in Assam. The APSC is the first state public service commission of the country to introduce transgender as a gender category in its application form,� transgender activist Swati Bidhan Baruah told The Assam Tribune.
On September 9, Baruah, who is also holding the post of associate vice chairperson of the Assam State Transgender Welfare Board, wrote to the APSC chairman requesting him to constitute an expert committee to advise the APSC in formulating a policy for empowering and recruiting transgender persons, including reservations, and also urged him to republish the advertisement of the Combined Competitive (Preliminary) Examination, 2020.
In the letter, Baruah cited the directives of the Supreme Court in connection with the case of the National Legal Services Authority versus Union of India.
Meanwhile, Baruah further said that introduction of transgender in the gender category is not enough to give justice to the community. �There is an urgent need to introduce a standard operating procedure (SOP) so that no fake transgender can avail the benefit in recruitment examinations of APSC. Moreover, there should be a proper policy regarding reservation, too,� Baruah added.
