Muristek
3,806 minor Covid orphans enlisted for government support, highest in Maharashtra
Aditi Tandon
New Delhi, May 29
A year after it was launched, PM Cares for Children Scheme is all set to cover 3,806 Covid orphans registered with the government for institutional protection.
Of the 3,806 children under 18 years of age, approved for the scheme by state governments and enlisted by the Women and Child Development Ministry, 67.5 per cent are in five states ndash; Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.
Maharashtra houses 674 of the 3,806 Covid orphans registered with the Ministry's PM Cares portal, with Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh housing 390 children each, Tamil Nadu 323 and Andhra Pradesh 307.
Maharashtra alone accounts for more than 17 pc of India's registered Covid orphans.
No registrations on the PM Cares portal have come from Ladakh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Sikkim and Tripura.
Among the northern states, Delhi has approved PM Cares protection for 125 children below age 18, followed by 83 children in Haryana, 40 in Uttarakhand, 31 in Punjab, 19 in Himachal Pradesh, 13 in Jammu and Kashmir and 12 in Chandigarh.
While 3,806 minor orphans have been approved for PM Cares, 539 beneficiaries above 18 years have been identified.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Monday release the benefits under the PM CARES for Children Scheme via video conferencing.
The PM will transfer scholarships to school going children. A passbook of PM CARES for Children, and health card under Ayushman Bharat ndash; Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana will be handed over to the children during the programme.
PM CARES for Children Scheme was launched by the Prime Minister on May 29, 2021 to support children who have lost both the parents or legal guardian or adoptive parents or surviving parent to Covid-19 pandemic during the period from March 11, 2020 to February 28, 2022.
The objective of the Scheme is to ensure comprehensive care and protection of children in a sustained manner 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.
A dedicated portal was launched to register the children.
The portal was a single window system which facilitated approval process and all other assistance for children. State governments were asked to find and enlist children for support and send their names to the WCD Ministry for action.