Generally the transgender community would be seen visiting houses and offices to get money ('badhai') at different festivals or traditional occasions, but a group of transgenders in Madhya Pradesh's Panna district have taken up the responsibility to run an Anganwadi centre. According to Madhya Pradesh's Public Relation department, a group of transgenders have adopted an Anganwadi centre — a child care facility. For this, they (transgenders) have earned praises from the local people, district administration but also from Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, said a Public Relation department official on Saturday. "A group of 'Kinnars' (transgenders) have adopted an 'Anganwadi kendra' — a child care centre in Panna district. A first such kind of step has come up in the state," the officer told IANS.

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The transgender community came forward to adopt an Anganwadi childcare centre, nearly a month after Chief Minister Chouhan during a visit to Panna district, had appealed people to adopt Anganwadi centres. Earlier, Chouhan had appealed effluent and educated people to adopt Anganwadi centres to make them better. A group of transgenders based in Panna district have come forward to adopt an Anganwadi centre and their initiative received praises. Knowing about this initiative, the Chief Minister said, "Kinnar samaj's (transgender community) step to adopt an Anganwadi is praiseworthy and wonderful." Shabnam Bano, popularly known as Shabnam Mausi, was the first Indian transgender who was elected as the MLA in Madhya Pradesh. (IANS/SP)

(Keywords: Anganwadi, childcare, transgender, community, Madhya Pradesh, India, initiative, praiseworthy.)