Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has dissolved the earlier State Transgender Welfare Board and reconstituted it with a new structure to strengthen welfare initiatives for the transgender community.
The original board was constituted on May 15, 2025 with a three-year term and the departmental minister as its chairman. However, within just one year, the old board was dissolved and a fresh board has been formed. In the reconstituted board, the Chief Secretary of Odisha will serve as the Chairman. The Secretary of the Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities Department will be the Vice-Chairman, while the Director of the same department will function as the Member Secretary.
The other members include the State Director General of Police and the Additional Secretary of the Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities Department. Senior officials from multiple departments such as Health and Family Welfare, Women and Child Development, Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water, Housing and Urban Development, Skill Development and Technical Education, Higher Education, and Schools and Mass Education have also been included as members.
Prominent community representatives have been nominated to the board. These include Dipti Mohapatra, the state’s first third gender doctorate recipient, and third gender rights activist Soumya Das. One representative each from the Transgender Suraksha Trust in Bhubaneswar and the Chetana Organization in Balugaon will also be members.
Additionally, the District Collectors of Balangir, Angul, and Khordha will serve as members on a rotational basis.This reconstitution is expected to bring stronger administrative oversight and better coordination among various departments for the effective implementation of welfare schemes, education, skill development, healthcare, and livelihood opportunities for the third gender community in Odisha.
