Survey of sexual minorities in Mandya from Sept. 10

A survey of sexual minorities will be conducted across Mandya district for a period of 45 days from September 10.

Announcing this at a meeting on the preparations for the survey on the premises of Mandya Zilla Panchayat on Monday, Deputy Commissioner of Mandya Kumar said the survey of sexual minorities is aimed at bringing the sexual minorities to the mainstream of society.

The proposed exercise will be the first baseline survey of sexual minorities, Dr. Kumar said, adding that a surveyor has been appointed for each of the seven taluks in the district, and they have also been imparted with required training.

The surveyors will operate from the taluk hospitals, he said while asking the members of sexual minority community to visit the hospitals and provide accurate information for the survey.

In an earlier survey conducted by the Ashodaya Samithi, 1,039 sexual minorities had been identified. The Deputy Commissioner instructed the officials to ensure that these sexual minorities too were registered in the proposed survey.

Dr. Kumar also directed the officials to contact the leaders of sexual minority communities and spread awareness so that no member of the community is left out of the survey.

When sexual minorities participating in the meeting raised issues relating to housing, the Deputy Commissioner said Mandya City Municipal Council (CMC) was preparing a list of homeless families, and those belonging to sexual minorities within the limits of the CMC should include their names in the list.

Chief Executive Officer of Mandya Zilla Panchayat K.R. Nandini, who was also present at the meeting, said the government was carrying out a survey of the sexual minorities so that schemes could be formulated and the benefits could be extended to the members of the community.

Voluntary survey

Ms. Nandini pointed out that the proposed exercise was a voluntary survey, and members of the sexual minority community should visit the respective taluk hospital and submit their details.

She also said there was a need for wide publicity about the exercise so that members of the community participate in the survey.

Deputy Director of Department of Women and Child Development Rajamurthy, Mandya district Leprosy Eradication Officer Somashekar, Assistant Director of Department of Information and Public Relations Nirmala, and other officials were present at the meeting.