Thirty-six-year-old Adhidhi Achyuth of Kochi was struggling to secure a job due to her transgender identity, but now her dreams have been fulfilled as the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) offered her a modernised vending stall with the facility to sell live fish.

Adhidhi, who is a transgender and a native of Kochi, opened her modernised fish vending stall at Vennala market on Monday, February 15. She offers home delivery of cleaned and sealed packets of fish at the doorsteps of pre-booked customers, besides direct sale. Actors Harisree Ashokan and Molly Kannamally inaugurated the stall, The New Indian Express reported.

To set up the fish stall, which includes a deep freezer, fish display table with cooler and billing machine, CMFRI has provided Rs 5 lakh under the central government’s Scheduled Caste Sub Plan (SCSP). The stall facilitates cleaning the fish and maintaining them in live and fresh conditions. Available at the stall will be live fish from cage fish farms and captured marine fish.

Adhidhi was handed over the key to the stall by SCSP scheme chairman and CMFRI principal scientist K Madhu. “CMFRI have been providing training to members of SC communities to become small-scale entrepreneurs in cage fish farming,” he said.

“This is part of CMFRI’s drive to ensure to gender mainstreaming of the transgender members, who belong to the most marginalised section of society. The institute also aims to empower the transgender members by giving technical guidance in cage fish farming in future,” said CMFRI director A Gopalalkrishnan.