As many as 348 female sex workers in Guwahati will receive ration cards as part of a special drive organised by the Assam Department of Food, Civil Supplies, and Consumer Affairs.
The drive was launched in response to a recent Supreme Court directive.
According to senior department officials, as part of the drive, the distribution of ration cards has already begun in various parts of the state, and it will soon begin in Guwahati.
Around 5,000 female sex workers in Assam will receive ration cards as part of the initiative, with a significant number of them residing in Cachar district. Each of them will receive five kilogrammes of free rice per month, as well as the benefits of various government schemes, with the help of the ration card.
Notably, the District Legal Service Authority of each district has begun the process of identifying female sex workers in their respective jurisdictions in order to issue ration cards.
An official of Kamrup (Metro) district’s Department of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs stated that in Guwahati, the department is aiming to provide 700 ration cards to female sex workers, and the State Government has already sanctioned 500 ration cards for the purpose. The number of ration cards issued to female sex workers will be increased or decreased based on demand.
“Issuing of ration cards will be a great help for the female sex workers of the State, as most of them belong to the economically weaker sections of the society. Most importantly, most of them got involved in sex work only because of financial reasons,” said Margaret Basumatary, project manager of the Brahmaputra Health Care Society.
The Brahmaputra Health Care Society is a city-based NGO dedicated to the well-being of the city’s female sex workers.
