The Bihar Kinnar Kalyan Board is a government body in Bihar that deals with the welfare of transgender people. Its full English name is the Bihar State Transgender Welfare Board, and in Hindi it is the Bihar Rajya Kinnar Kalyan Board. Reports say it has 28 members, that it was set up in August 2025, and that it works under the state Social Welfare Department. It held its first meeting on 29 July 2026 in Patna.
This page explains the board itself. It tells you what is documented, what is not, and why the board has been in the news. For the temple proposal in detail, see our separate article on how the board approved the Modi temple proposal.
Key takeaways
- The board has 28 members and sits under the Bihar Social Welfare Department.
- It was constituted in August 2025, according to PTI, Drishti IAS and The Wire.
- Its first meeting was held on 29 July 2026, and Drishti IAS places it at the Social Welfare Department, Old Secretariat, Patna.
- At that meeting, member Rajan Singh proposed a temple for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and the board approved it, according to PTI.
- We could not find an official list of members, a published budget, or any scheme announced by the board, so we list none.
What is the Bihar Kinnar Kalyan Board?
A welfare board is a group set up by a state government to look after the needs of one community. This one is meant for transgender people. PTI says it works under the Social Welfare Department to protect transgender people's rights and promote their social development and empowerment. The Wire words the aim as protecting civil rights and carrying out policies for social and economic empowerment.
The word "kinnar" is used in Hindi for transgender and hijra people. Some people like the word and some do not, so news reports use both "kinnar" and "transgender". We write "transgender" in English and keep "kinnar" where it is part of the board's name.
We have not seen the government order that created the board, so we cannot say what powers it has or how much money and staff it gets.
When was the board formed?
Drishti IAS says the board was constituted in August 2025. The Wire says the same and adds that the Social Welfare Department formed it. PTI describes the month as "August last year" in a report dated 29 July 2026.
You may see other dates online, such as 2015. We found no source for that. The board in the news today is the one formed in 2025, and this article describes only that body.
Who runs it and how many members does it have?
Drishti IAS calls it a "28-member body" under the Social Welfare Department. The Wire also refers to the 28-member board.
We have not found an official list of all 28 names, so we do not print one. Reports name two members:
- Rajan Singh is the board member who proposed the temple. PTI spells the name "Ranjan Singh". The Federal and The Week call Singh the board's vice-president, while PTI's first report says "a member". Our profile of Rajan Singh covers the difference.
- Anupriya Singh is described by Queerbeat as a board member who disputes that the whole board backed the temple.
If you are searching for "bihar transgender welfare board members", the honest answer is that the full list is not public in any source we could open.
| Question | What is documented | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Official name | Bihar State Transgender Welfare Board (Bihar Rajya Kinnar Kalyan Board) | Drishti IAS |
| Number of members | 28 | Drishti IAS, The Wire |
| Department | Social Welfare Department, Bihar | Drishti IAS, PTI |
| Formed | August 2025 | Drishti IAS, The Wire, PTI |
| First meeting | 29 July 2026, Patna (Old Secretariat, per Drishti IAS) | PTI, Drishti IAS |
| Full member list | Not found | None |
| Budget or schemes | Not found | None |
What happened at the first meeting on 29 July 2026?
The board's first meeting took place on Wednesday, 29 July 2026. Drishti IAS says it was held at the Social Welfare Department in the Old Secretariat in Patna. The Wire says it took almost a year for the 28-member board to hold its first meeting.
At the meeting, board member Rajan Singh proposed building a temple for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. PTI quotes him as saying that the transgender community in Bihar does not have a temple of its own, so he proposed one for Modi, "because he gave us respect and rights". PTI reports that the proposal "received the support of all members and was approved by the board". Drishti IAS says it got unanimous approval.
The Free Press Journal added that the state government would find the land and pay for construction. That comes from Singh's own account. We found no government order or official statement that confirms it.
For a dated list of what followed, read our Patna Modi Mandir timeline.
Was the temple vote really unanimous?
PTI, Drishti IAS and the Free Press Journal all describe full support. But Queerbeat later reported that board member Anupriya Singh said the temple "was Rajan's personal agenda". It also reported that the minutes of the 29 July meeting, which it saw, do not mention the temple. We have not seen those minutes.
So two things are on the record at once. Several outlets reported that the board approved the temple unanimously. And a board member has publicly disagreed, while the written minutes have been questioned. Until the board or the state publishes the minutes, treat "unanimous" as a claim, not a proven fact.
Why this matters: A board's decision is only official when it is written in minutes and, where needed, accepted by the government. A statement to reporters does not do that on its own.
What does the board do for transgender people in Bihar?
Many readers ask this, so we want to be careful. An older version of this page listed pensions, health cover and district programmes. We removed all of it because we could not find a source for any of it.
What we can say is limited:
- The board was created, according to reports, to protect transgender rights and help with social and economic progress.
- Its first meeting was held only in July 2026.
- The one decision widely reported from that meeting was the temple proposal.
The Wire argued that other matters need attention first. It wrote that housing remains a major concern and that reservation in education and public employment is still unresolved. That is the writer's view, but it shows why some readers expected the first meeting to focus on everyday welfare. If the board announces schemes, the Social Welfare Department's own notices will be the best place to confirm them.
Why does a state set up a welfare board at all?
In 2014 the Supreme Court recognised transgender people as a third gender in the NALSA judgment. Parliament passed the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act in 2019, and it came into force on 10 January 2020. The Act bans discrimination in areas such as education, jobs and healthcare, and it asks governments to make welfare plans. Critics point out that it gives no reservations in jobs or education.
A state welfare board is one way to turn those promises into practice. In theory it brings community members and officials into one room. Members can raise problems such as getting identity papers, finding housing or facing harassment, and officials can respond. Whether that happens depends on how often the board meets and whether its advice is acted on.
Several Indian states have set up transgender welfare boards, and they differ in powers, members and funding. Our article on state transgender welfare boards in India compares them. A board's existence does not by itself mean money or services. Those come from budgets and government orders, which are separate documents. This is general information, not legal advice.
A simple way to judge any welfare board
- Is there a government order that creates it and lists its powers?
- Is the list of members public?
- Does it meet on a regular schedule, and are the minutes published?
- Does it have a budget line, and can the public see how it is spent?
- Can you point to a service that exists because of it?
For the Bihar board we could confirm the creation date, the size, the department and one meeting. We could not confirm the rest. That does not mean the rest do not exist. It means they are not public in the sources we could open.
Myth versus fact
| Claim you may see online | What we found |
|---|---|
| The board was founded in 2015. | Reports say it was constituted in August 2025. |
| The board gives monthly pensions or fixed health cover. | No source found. We removed these claims. |
| The government has approved Rs 112 crore. | The figure is Singh's request. No sanction has been reported. |
| The Prime Minister or the Bihar government has backed the temple. | We found no such statement. |
What has been said about the Rs 112 crore figure and the temple?
ETV Bharat and PatnaPress, both on 11 August, report that the board asked the government for five acres of land and Rs 112 crore. ETV Bharat quotes Singh saying the proposal will now go to the Cabinet Secretariat. PatnaPress calls the temple "not yet a sanctioned project". The gold statue Singh wants is covered on our page about the statue and design.
The numbers come from Singh's own statements. They are a request, not an approved budget. Read our fact-check of the Rs 112 crore claim for more. All our Patna coverage is gathered on the Patna proposal topic page.
Queerbeat also reports that on 14 August a Patna High Court lawyer, Prashant Kumar, complained to the Prime Minister's Office. He asked it to look into whether Singh was using Modi's name, post or photograph for a private activity. We have not seen the complaint itself, and we found no reply.
What we do not know yet
- The full list of the 28 board members.
- The exact order that created the board and the powers it gives.
- The board's budget, if it has one.
- Whether the state government has accepted the temple proposal. We found no government statement.
- Where a temple would be built. No land has been reported as chosen.
- What the official minutes of 29 July say.
- When the board will meet next.
Common questions
What is the Bihar Kinnar Kalyan Board?
It is the Bihar State Transgender Welfare Board, a 28-member body under the state Social Welfare Department. It was constituted in August 2025 to work on transgender rights and welfare.
Who are the members of the Bihar transgender welfare board?
No complete official list is public in the sources we opened. News reports name Rajan Singh, who proposed the temple, and Anupriya Singh, who disputes that the whole board backed it.
When did the board first meet?
It met for the first time on 29 July 2026 at the Social Welfare Department, Old Secretariat, Patna, according to Drishti IAS and PTI.
Did the board get government money for the temple?
We found no report of funds being sanctioned. Rajan Singh said the state would find land and pay, but no government statement confirms this.
Sources
- ThePrint (PTI): Bihar transgender board approves proposal to construct temple in Modi's name, 29 July 2026
- Drishti IAS: Bihar Transgender Welfare Board clears proposal for PM Modi temple, 31 July 2026
- Free Press Journal: Bihar's transgender welfare board approves construction of temple dedicated to Modi
- The Wire: Bihar's trans welfare board wants to build a temple for Modi. What about protecting trans rights?
- ETV Bharat: Bihar Kinnar Board proposes to build temple for Modi, 11 August 2026
- PatnaPress: golden Modi temple proposal by the transgender welfare board, 11 August 2026
- Queerbeat: A Bihar Transgender Welfare Board member hosts a Modi Chalisa at the Press Club of India
- SCC Online: The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019 comes into force, 10 January 2020
Last checked on 24 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us through our contact page.