Around 790 of these children are also enrolled under the PM Cares for Children scheme that allocates funds for their education and health insurance. This package includes Rs 10 lakh each that is deposited in their names.As many as 817 children across Maharashtra, who were orphaned after their parents died due to Covid-19 or any other cause during the pandemic, have been granted Rs 5 lakh each as financial assistance by the state government. Of the 817 children, 774 have received the amount while the rest 43 will get the amount after their bank account details are updated.
According to data from the Women and Child Development department, 110 children lost both parents, 341 lost their mother while 2,324 lost their father during the pandemic in the Pune district.
These children (0-18 age group) are being counselled by experts from the Indian Psychiatric Society, Idzes Kundan, Secretary at Women and Child Development department, Maharashtra, told The Indian Express.
Around 790 of these children are also enrolled under the PM Cares for Children scheme that allocates funds for their education and health insurance. This package includes Rs 10 lakh each that is deposited in their names.
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According to a March 2022 report from the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development Department, a total of 10,386 children were orphaned during the pandemic across the country and 1.4 lakh children lost one of their parents to Covid-19, while 492 children were abandoned. Approximately, 4,196 children were identified for the benefits of the PM Cares for Children Scheme.
Meanwhile, a recent report by Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy, an independent think tank, has commended the government for offering financial assistance to orphans. The report, however, noted that the schemes could have attempted to resolve a more systemic set of problems that affected child welfare rather than a blanket set of schemes offered to children orphaned during the pandemic.
“Further areas of research such as those identifying bottlenecks in the system, especially in the processes for locating orphaned children and designating children as legally free for adoption could be important to address the systemic challenges,” the report said.
R Vimala takes charge as WCD Commissioner
R Vimala, who took charge as Commissioner of Women and Child Development Department, Maharashtra, told The Indian Express that as part of Mission Vatsalya – set up by the state government for women who lost their husbands to Covid-19 — a survey would be conducted to identify their needs. “The government is keen on encouraging these women to take up small enterprises,” Vimala, who was former Nagpur district collector said.
The mission is aimed to serve women mainly from impoverished backgrounds.