The move comes a year after Mr Nitish Kumar's government decided to use eunuchs for realisation of outstanding municipal taxes.
The government believes eunuchs are more effective than regular staff and also plans to use them for publicising development schemes for women.

The government's move to "exploit" the talents of eunuchs were revealed this week when the social welfare department organized a day-long workshop for them. More than a hundred heavily made-up eunuchs, dressed in their festive outfits, responded to the government's call and participated in the workshop, organised for the first time by the Bihar government.

"We are very much serious about the plight of a community that has suffered discrimination for centuries. Now, my department is planning to give them some important responsibilities which include deploying them as security guards at places like remand homes, hospitals and women's colleges, or utilizing their services in publicising government-sponsored women and child welfare schemes," said the social welfare minister, Mr Damodar Raut. Reports said the government is also considering reservation for them.

The social welfare department says that eunuchs have vast, untapped potential. According to a senior official of the department, they could be very useful in making women's development schemes popular as they visit homes at weddings and when children are born.

As expected, the government's move has drawn huge applause from eunuchs, although not all of them are amused. "If we get out of this age-old job, our society will suffer. Yet we are willing to change our profile provided that the state government arranges for permanent rehabilitation of our community", said Rajkumari alias Lalan Hijra.