A total of 72 children in the district, who have lost their parents to COVID-19, will get the assistance from the State Government, Minister for Social Welfare P. Geetha Jeevan has said.
Speaking to reporters here on Wednesday after visiting at Arumugasamy Home here the children who have lost their parents to COVID-19, she said the State Government had created COVID Care Centres exclusively for COVID-19 positive children across Tamil Nadu where the children’s father or mother or guardian could stay with them. In Thoothukudi, 361 children with the viral infection were undergoing treatment in the COVID Care Centres.
As the State Government had announced ex-gratia and monthly assistance to the children who have lost their father, mother or both to COVID-19, state-wide survey was going on to identify those children. In Thoothukudi, 72 such children would get the assistance. The guardian or relatives of those children could submit application to the Tahsildar or the Revenue Divisional Officer or the Collectors concerned for availing this assistance.
She informed that panchayat-level committees were being formed to check child marriage.
When the minister called on the family that lost a woman, who died after the cement plastering from the roof peeled off and fell on her, she handed over ₹1 lakh on behalf of DMK.
She received 50 oxygen concentrators sponsored by TVS Srinivasan Trust.
Collector K. Senthil Raj and Superintendent of Police S. Jayakumar were present.