Bareilly/Prayagraj (UP), Mar 30 (IANS): They face a social stigma and are usually shunned by society, yet, transgenders in Bareilly and Prayagraj are coming forward to provide food and water to migrant labourers who are returning home after the lockdown.

About 50 transgenders in Bareilly are providing food to 100 people every day.

"There are several families who are daily wage workers and they depend on daily earning for food. We are serving food to them because we feel that serving humanity is the best service," said Prema, a transgender.

She said that her group of friends, about 50, plan to start a community kitchen to provide hot cooked food but are waiting for necessary permission form the local administration.

"At present, we are giving biscuits and fruits to the people," she said.

In Prayagraj, another group of about 30 transgenders are serving food and water bottles to travelers and also the homeless.

"We have stationed ourselves near the temples because most of the homeless and migrants come here for relief. We are using our savings to help people caught in the lockdown," said Ishwari, a transgender.

Rajesh Kumar, a migrant labourer, who was provided food by the group on Sunday, said, "We always ridicule these people but today, they have been my saviour. After going without food for almost 70 hours, they gave me food and water."

Rajesh has travelled on foot from Meerut, where he works in a biscuit factory, to Prayagraj and is on his way to his village in Varanasi.

Ishwari and her group said that they were also educating people about the COVID-19 and were taking all precautions and following the guidelines of the district administration.