India has an estimated 1 million eunuchs. Rulers once castrated boys to create eunuchs to work in their harems. But eunuchs today are generally males with partial genitals or who opt for castration because of strong female feelings.
They often make a living on tips for dancing at weddings and blessing newborn babies, and are believed to be stubborn and not take no for an answer.
The new tax collectors met with considerable success in their first day in the job. They collected 425,000 rupees, equivalent to about $9,240, from shop owners, said Bharat Sharma, a revenue officer.
“We are confident that their reputation and persuasive skills will come in handy for the municipal authorities to collect taxes from defaulters,” Sharma told The Associated Press.
The eunuchs are not given a salary and instead receive 4% of the amount they collect from defaulters, Prasad said.