NCP MP Fauzia Khan demands reservation in education for Covid-19 orphans

NCP Rajya Sabha MP Fauzia Khan has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking for the central government to implement reservation in education for children orphaned by the COVID-19 pandemic. In her letter, the MP has asked the Prime Minister to ensure such reservation is made in all verticals of education which would allow the children to seamlessly complete their education.

The second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic has seen many families losing not only their earning members but also the death of both parents. In some cases, there have been reports of children being abandoned.

A total of 1,742 children were orphaned, 140 abandoned and 7,464 children have lost one parent because of the Covid-19 pandemic since March 2020, National Commission for Child Rights (NCPCR) has told the Supreme Court.

The Prime Minister’s Office had announced a scheme under which such children would be paid a monthly stipend for five years after they turn 18. This stipend would be paid from a Rs 10 lakhs fixed deposit which would be opened out of the PM Cares fund in the name of the children. The corpus would be given to the children after 5 years. These and other measures were announced by the central government for such children.

Khan, in her letter, had pointed out that the central government’s scheme would come into practise only after the children come of age. But in order to help them complete their education, the MP has asked the central government to bring about reservations for such children. The scheme should be applied in all verticals ie from pre-primary to post-graduation education. “This scheme, will not only empower them but also provide much-needed academic support and guidance that education institutions provide,” the letter read.