In a historic first, the Jharkhand government has appointed a transgender from West Singhbhum district as a community health officer. Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Thursday handed over the appointment letter to Amir Mahato, who was visibly pleased.

Mahato, who completed her nursing training in Sambalpur village, was among the 365 candidates appointed under the National Health Mission.

Mahato said her mother had wanted her to become a nurse, but she could not pursue her profession due to financial constraints at home.

"My mother's dream has come true. I have no complaints to God. I am really happy and never thought I would be appointed as a community health officer in Jharkhand. I thank the Chief Minister for taking such an initiative," she said.

With Mahato's appointment, Jharkhand became one of the few states after Bihar, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal to have a provision to appoint transgenders in government departments.

In September last year, the Jharkhand Cabinet cleared the approval to reserve seats for transgenders. The state government has envisaged a reservation under the OBC quota in educational institutions and government appointments for the third gender.

Source: India Today