Fair Group hires 30 transgenders
NBR Chairman Abu Hena Md Rahmatul Muneem has urged everyone to come forward for social integration of the transgender community
The Fair Group has recently employed 30 transgenders as their staff members and taken steps to increase this number further in near future.
"We are committed to recruiting transgender workers at the Fair Group. More than 30 transgenders are working as regular workers in our group. In addition to a regular salary we are giving them a special grant every month," said Fair Group Chairman Ruhul Alam Al Mahbub at a meeting on "Social Inclusion of Transgender People" in the capital on Saturday.
"All this is done with the aim of ensuring their social inclusion and humane life," he added.
At the meeting, the National Board of Revenue Chairman Abu Hena Md Rahmatul Muneem said, "Transgenders are abandoned by their families and boycotted by the society. They are deprived of education. Give these backward people jobs in companies so they can live in society with dignity."
"It is said transgenders reduce productivity, but the Fair Group has proven that wrong. Overcoming all hurdles, they have given jobs to 30 transgender, for which I thank them," said Abu Hena Md Rahmatul Muneem, who was the chief guest at the programme.
"We had announced in the last budget that companies will enjoy a tax exemption for hiring transgenders as the government wants transgender people to have a place in the society," he added.
Additional Inspector General of Police and Head of Tourist Police Habibur Rahman, who have been working on improving the quality of neglected Bede (riverine gypsy tribe) and transgender people's lives, expressed his hope that Fair Group will continue the initiative of employing transgenders in the coming days.
Eminent cultural personalities Shamim Ara Nipa, Sadia Islam Mou, and Amitabh Reza Chowdhury, spoke at the programme. Professor Dr Touhida Jahan, Bandhu Social Welfare Society Director Saleh Ahmed, and TransEnd Founder Lamiya Tanha also delivered speeches on the occasion.
At the end of the event, guests at the programme handed over Eid gifts to the transgenders on behalf of Fair Group.
A number of private companies have been hiring transgenders after the government announced tax exemption for such companies.
Earlier, in 2021, the Brac Bank had hired 14 transgender and differently-abled persons.