Uttar Pradesh: Covid orphan, 13, says he will raise minor siblings, 12 and 11

MEERUT: Samarpit, 13, Meena, 12, and Shankar, 11, from Lisadh village in Shamli suddenly found they are all alone. In a year, they have lost every loved one bringing them up — father, mother and both grandparents. District officials said under the new government scheme, while financial assistance will be arranged, the children will continue to live alone in their house at Lisadh with a relative checking in on them from time to time. Disappointed, their lives in disarray, Samarpit, just a teenager himself, said he will step up and raise his siblings.
Their father was a farmer with nine bigha land and five buffaloes. The three were bright and diligent students at the local school. In April last year, just into the lockdown, their father got Covid-19. Treatment didn’t work and he passed away. The family was still coping with the loss when their grandparents died in quick succession in December. Before they could recover, they were struck another blow — the second wave hit and claimed their mother in the last week of April.
There is a lot to be done. The farm and cattle have to be managed, the finances sorted, but they have no one around to help them. The closest relative they have is a maternal uncle in Muzaffarnagar, who would visit occasionally. “Tragedy has befallen us. But we are dealing with it together. I will try my best that my siblings’ education is not impeded. I will work hard and look after them,” Samarpit told TOI.
The villagers they have known and grown up around have been in touch with the district administration to secure their future. “All four elders of the family are gone. These little kids have been orphaned. We appeal to the government to take care of these children until they become adults,” Shyam Singh, a local, told TOI.
When asked why the children have not been rehabilitated, district probation officer Prasoon Rai told TOI, “We are aware of their status. Among various provisions in the government order (under the Mukhya Mantri Bal Seva Yojana) which came into effect only two days ago, the one best suited to them is a monthly assistance of Rs 4,000.”
Under the new scheme, boys only younger than 10 who have no guardians will be rehabilitated, which rules Samarpit and Shankar out. For minor girls, the government had said it would arrange their stay in schools being set up by the government. So, Meena will not be moved because, technically, they have a guardian. Rai added, “They will stay in their own house. Their maternal uncle (from Muzaffarnagar) will be declared their guardian to check on them and their property. Members of the Child Welfare Committee will monitor if they are doing alright.”
(Names have been changed to protect identity.)