All of them have been rehabilitated with their local guardians, says Child Welfare Committee chief
Till about a month ago, Raju (6) and Rajeswari (8) used to cuddle with their parents in the single-bedroom rented house, for a peaceful night of sleep. Though their parents were having difficulty in making both ends meet, as daily wage labourers are the worst hit during this ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, they were a happy family. But the pandemic stole the happiness, as the siblings lost their parents in quick succession, to the coronavirus.
During the ongoing second wave, the district, especially the city, has been seeing an unprecedented number of infections and at the same time increase in deaths.
According to the records, as many as 75,386 people were infected and the district recorded close to 364 deaths. And all these happened within a period two months, April and May.
Due to the abnormal death rate, 18 children, including four siblings all aged between six and 15 years, have become orphans by losing both their parents.
“On one side while the district is grappling with issues such as health infrastructure, oxygen and bed shortage, on the other hand we had to deal with the problem of orphans. The cases were coming out fast and luckily the State government had come out with a plan to identify such cases, provide solace and rehabilitate them,” said Chairperson of Child Welfare Committee R. Shyamala Devi.
“So far we have identified about 18 such cases and all of them have been rehabilitated with their local guardians. We will bring them to shelter homes, only if they do not have any local guardians or if the guardians refuse to take care of them. But so far, most of them have been rehabilitated with their grandparents,” she said.
According to the members of the CWC, some of the cases were very pathetic, but the government’s programme should give them a good life now and in the future.
₹10 lakh ex gratia
The State government’s initiative includes ₹10 lakh ex gratia in the form of fixed deposit to the children, who lost their parents due to COVID-19.
“The scheme is applicable to children below 18 years and those who are from Below Poverty Line (BPL) families. Till children attain the age of 25 years, the interest on the FD can be used for their sustenance and after the FD can be redeemed for their further endeavours,” said Ms. Shyamala Rani.
According to District Child Protection Officer Allu Satyanarayana, a system is in place for selecting the children. Apart from being from the BPL segment and white ration card holders, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) reports and reports from ASHA workers, ward/ village and anganwadi volunteers are also considered.
These apart, any citizen can get back to us informing a case and we shall take it forward from there, said Ms. Shyamala Rani.