Kochi Metro Recruits 23 Transgenders, First Govt Project to Do So

530 women and transgender workers from Kudumbashree will ‘man’ the ticketing counters and housekeeping services.

Good news for transgenders in Kochi (Photo: ANI screengrab)

Kochi Metro Rail Limited has broken new ground in the field of gender equality, by recruiting 23 Transgenders for its operations starting in June.

Kerala had become the first Indian state to build a ‘Transgender Policy’ in 2016, following which the Kochi Metro had offered jobs to the transgender community, taking a positive step towards merging the community with the mainstream society.

In all, 530 women and transgenders have been recruited from Kudumbashree, a women’s self-help group brought into being by the State Poverty Eradication Mission (SPEM) of the Government of Kerala. The newly appointed employees will start operations from June at 11 stations of the Aluva-Palrivattom corridor.

The recruits had to go through various rounds of written-tests and interviews before they were selected. They were then subjected to a month-long training where they were taught both technical and soft skills. Based on their educational qualifications, the candidates will be put in various departments- from ‘manning’ ticket counters to housekeeping services.

We have been living in filthy conditions all along and are grateful for this opportunity. We are glad that we are being included in the society, like other normal people.

A newly recruited employee

Based on the performance of the first batch of employees from the community, Kochi Metro Rail Limited will plan on recruiting more transgenders in the upcoming phases of the project.

Video Editor: Ashutosh Bhardwaj