Kolkata, Dec 27 (IANS): The West Bengal education department on Wednesday announced special concession in the registration fee for the West Bengal Joint Entrance Examination Board (WBJEEB) for girls and transgender aspirants.

For female aspirants, concessions in the registration fees will be applicable in the reserved as well as unreserved categories, State Education Minister Bratya Basu announced.

“The online registration for the WBJEEB will commence from December 28. Keeping in mind Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s aim to encourage female students to opt for higher education, we have decided to reduce the registration fees for female aspirants in both reserved and unreserved categories as well as for transgender students. I wish them all the best,” Basu said.

Welcoming the development, transgender rights activist Debika Barua said this was a right step with the bigger aim to bring the people of the transgender community into the mainstream.

“I have always emphasised that educating the people from the community and encouraging them to go for higher education is always necessary to bring them into the mainstream. I also heard that this is for the first time that the West Bengal Joint Entrance Examination Board is introducing the ‘third gender’ category in the gender column. I wholeheartedly welcome the move,” Barua said.

Under the new structure, the online registration fee for general category male candidates will be Rs 500 and that for reserved category of male candidates will be Rs.400.

In case of general category female candidates the online registration will be Rs 400 and the same for reserved category female candidates will be Rs 300.

The registration fee for the transgender category candidates will be Rs 300. This will be applicable for both transwomen (male to female) and transmen (female to male).