Muristek
New Delhi, May 29
A year after it was launched, the PM Cares for Children Scheme is all set to cover 3,806 Covid orphans registered with the government for institutional support.
Of the 3,806 children under 18 years of age, identified by state governments and enlisted by the Union Women and Child Development Ministry for benefits, 67.5 per cent are from five states—Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. As many as 539 beneficiaries above 18 years have also been identified.
No registrations on the PM Cares portal have come from Ladakh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Sikkim and Tripura.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Monday release the benefits under the scheme via video-conferencing and transfer scholarships to the accounts of schoolchildren. A passbook of PM Cares for Children and health card under Ayushman Bharat scheme will be handed over to the beneficiaries.
The scheme was launched on May 29, 2021, to support children who had lost both the parents or legal guardian or adoptive parents or surviving parent during the Covid pandemic from March 11, 2020, to February 28, 2022.
The scheme's objective is to ensure comprehensive care of children by providing them boarding and lodging, empowering them through education and scholarships, equipping them for self-sufficient existence with financial support of Rs 10 lakh on attaining 23 years of age and ensuring their wellbeing through health insurance.