Guwahati, March 11: In a landmark move to empower the transgender community, Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has opened a Transgender-run tea stall, named ‘Trans Tea Stall,’ at Guwahati Railway Station in collaboration with the All Assam Transgender Association. The initiative is the first of its kind to have been opened up in any railway station in the country.

Anshul Gupta, General Manager of Northeast Frontier Railway, inaugurated the ‘Trans Tea Stall’ on Friday evening at platform number 1 of Guwahati Railway Station, in the presence of Swati Bidhan Baruah, Associate Vice Chairman of the Transgender Welfare Board of Assam. The tea stall is entirely managed by members of the transgender community and is part of the Centre’s comprehensive scheme for Transgenders named “Support for Marginalised Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise.”

Railway officials said that this is the first-ever initiative not only in Indian Railways but in any government organization in the country. Northeast Frontier Railway plans to operate more such Trans Tea Stalls at other Railway stations in the region.

The move has been hailed by the Transgender community as a significant step towards their social and economic inclusion. This initiative is expected to provide a sustainable livelihood for transgender people and inspire other government agencies to adopt similar measures.