LGBTQIA+ couples to be treated as part of same house for ration card: Centre’s ‘interim measures’

Government recognizes LGBTQIA+ couples for ration cards, healthcare, and banking, following Supreme Court directions for equality.

The Centre on Sunday (September 1, 2024) said that LGBTQIA+ couples and partners in Queer relationships will now be considered as part of the same household for the purposes of ration cards, an advisory for which was recently issued by the Department of Food and Public Distribution.

All States and Union Territories have also been directed to take measures necessary to ensure that partners in Queer relationships are not discriminated against in the issuance of ration cards.

The Union Government added that the Health Ministry has also written to all States/Union Territories and relevant stakeholders about making a provision that allowed partners in such relationships to be able to claim each other’s body “when near relative/next of kin/family is not available”.

The Health Ministry has also framed guidelines on required medical interventions for intersex children/infants or “infants/children with disorders of sexual differentiation” so that they can “have a medically normal life without complications”, the government said.

Further, the Health Ministry is now working on guidelines for addressing issues of mental health and well-being of the Queer community.

The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment said that these were among the list of “interim measures” the Government of India had taken in the past week or so, in keeping with the directions issued by the Supreme Court of India in the marriage equality case in October 2023. The Centre also said it was calling for suggestions from the public for further measures that could be taken, asking those interested to email abhishek-upsc@gov.in and mayank.b@gov.in.

In the judgment, the top court refused to recognise same-sex marriages but it noted the Centre’s submission that it would form a committee to look into the scope of entitlements for LGBTQIA+ people and couples in Queer relationships.