Bhubaneswar: The state government has initiated steps to rehabilitate the city's beggar and transgender communities.

Government officials will hold a meeting on April 4 to discuss the roadmap for the rehabilitation plan. "The government has approved our department's proposal. We will organised a meeting to discuss the methods of implementation," said an official of the department of social security and empowerment of persons with disabilities.

The department will take help from agencies such as the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation to undertake a survey to identify these persons and then rehabilitate them. The health and family welfare department will also be a stakeholder in the imitative.

Sources said once the identification of beggars and transgender persons was over, the government would take steps to educate and train transgender persons and child beggars. Identified persons will be resettled through different urban housing schemes. Officials will also conduct skill development programmes for their employment.

"One of the objectives of the initiative is to provide skill development and training to the beggars and transgender persons so that they are able to make their own living rather than depending on alms. The initiative will not only help them, but also help the city get eligible and employed people," said the official.

The rehabilitation plan also includes providing Aadhaar, voter ID and Pan cards to the identified persons and then open bank accounts for them. The bank link will be part of their socio-economic rehabilitation.

According to the 2011 census, Bhubaneswar has 53 identified beggars and 246 transgender persons.

"It is been seven years since the census. We will be able to ascertain the real number of transgender persons and beggars after the survey. Our officials will extend all possible help in this programme," said mayor Ananta Narayan Jena.