Assam Announces OBC Status for Trans Community and Reservations for Anganwadi Workers

In a landmark policy push aimed at promoting social inclusion and grassroots empowerment, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on June 23, 2025, announced that the transgender community in Assam will now be granted OBC (Other Backward Class) status. In a parallel move, he also declared 50% reservation in supervisor-level positions under the Women and Child Development Department (WCD) for Anganwadi workers, boosting their career progression within the government framework.

Why in News?

These announcements mark a historic shift in Assam’s policy towards gender minorities and grassroots workers. The provision of OBC status will open doors for trans individuals in education, employment, and government welfare schemes, while the reservation for Anganwadi workers in supervisory posts under the ICDS scheme recognizes and institutionalizes their long-standing contributions.

Key Announcements

OBC Status to Transgender Community

• Provides access to reservation in education and employment.
• Enables inclusion in welfare schemes meant for OBCs.
• First major state-level recognition of transgender rights in Assam.
• 50% Reservation for Anganwadi Workers in Supervisor Posts:
• Applies to recruitment under the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS).
• Acknowledges their role in nutrition, early childhood care, and community outreach.
• Elevates grassroots workers to leadership and decision-making roles.

Background

• Transgender individuals have long faced discrimination, social exclusion, and lack of access to welfare opportunities.
• Anganwadi workers, primarily women, have been pivotal in rural child health and development but often lacked career advancement pathways.

Official Statements

• “We have decided to provide OBC status to members of the transgender community so they can avail benefits across various sectors,” — CM Himanta Biswa Sarma
  “The reservation acknowledges the vital contribution of Anganwadi workers,” — Sarma during appointment letter distribution in Guwahati

Implementation

• Changes will come into effect from the next recruitment cycle.
• Applies to Women and Child Development Department supervisory posts.
• Appointment letters distributed to newly recruited staff at the event.