Families want to keep kids but plead for aid

Noida: While social media is full of inquiries about adopting kids who have lost their parents to Covid, in most cases, extended families do not want to give them away but hope the state will offer some aid.
Rahul (10) and Rashmi (8) lost both their parents within three days. While Rahul is in class 5, Rashmi is in class 4. They had scored above 90 per cent in their last exam. Their grandmother had a crèche and three children would come there. “I made around Rs 9,000 a month. My son worked at a private firm and my daughter-in-law was a private school teacher. So we did not have a crisis. Now, the school has agreed not to charge fees for the kids. But what will we do after that? I hope the lockdown ends soon and I am able to reopen the crèche,” she said, adding that their monthly house rent is Rs 9,000. “But whatever happens, I will not part with them,” she said.
Aastha (7) and Ashima (6) whose family is from Jammu and Kashmir, lost their parents and grandparents recently. Now, they are with their aunt in Bareilly. The girls still don’t know that their parents have passed away. Their uncle Rajiv, a father of two, who runs a coaching centre, said: “We will take care of them. If the government helps, it should continue for some time.”
For children with special needs, the problem is more acute. Sagar (17), Samira (14) and Saira (11) recently lost their father, the only earning member in the family. Their uncle Anuj says Sagar has special needs and he could not clear his Class 8 exams last year. “I am worried about him,” Anuj said, adding that he hopes they get some assistance.
Manoj Rai, director, ministry of women and child development, said the government will launch a scheme soon. “It will include financial assistance for children below 18 years. Children who have lost one or both parents would be covered by it,” he said, adding that the details are being finalised.
Experts, however, said the real challenge will be to monitor how the money is utilised. Former Supreme Court judge Madan B Lokur said the Union cabinet has approved a change in the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, that authorises district collectors/magistrates to approve adoptions. “The burden will now be with the executive to approve adoptions. But how will the state know if the money is reaching the child?” he asked.
Satya Prakash, manager, FXB India Suraksha, an NGO that runs Childline in Noida, said states have not been able to utilise funds under Integrated Child Protection Scheme. “Kids have to be brought under existing schemes for their overall development,” he said.
(Names of the children
have been changed)