UP govt to provide financial help and free education to children who lost parents to COVID

The Uttar Pradesh government has launched a welfare scheme for children who have either lost both of their parents to COVID-19 or the earning parent. The UP govt welfare scheme was launched on Sunday, May 30. The decision comes a day after the Supreme Court observed that it cannot even imagine how many children of the country have lost their parents due to the Coronavirus pandemic. The SC had directed the state authorities to immediately identify them and provide necessary relief. 

Uttar Pradesh Mukhyamantri Bal Seva Yojana

Children who have lost both of their parents to Coronavirus, a surviving parent or legal guardian will be included in the Uttar Pradesh Mukhyamantri Bal Seva Yojana. Children who lost the earning parent of the family will also be included in the scheme. Under this scheme, the Uttar Pradesh government will provide financial assistance to a child's guardian while those who do not have anyone to look after them will be sent to the homes of children. 

UP CM Yogi Adiyanatjh also said that the state government will take care of the upbringing and education of children orphaned by COVID-19. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said, "Children who have lost both of their parents to COVID-19, a surviving parent, legal guardian in case the parents have already died earlier, will be included in this scheme. Children, who have lost the earning parent of their family will also be included in the scheme. The state government is committed to better health, better education, and for the bright future of the children."

Key Benefits of Uttar Pradesh Mukhyamantri Bal Seva Yojana

Children below 10 years who do not have any family members will be taken care of by the state government children's homes. Currently, such homes are functional in Mathura, Lucknow, Prayagraj, Agra, and Rampur, he said. A minor girl child will be housed in Kasturba Gandhi Girls (Residential) Schools run by the Government of India or children's homes (girls) run by the state government.  Currently, there are 13 such children's homes in the state. The state government will also provide an amount of Rs 1,01,000 for the marriage of such girls. Apart from this, they will be taken care of in 18 Atal Residential Schools being set up in the state.

A senior official said that UP is the first state in the country to come up with a welfare scheme for children who were orphaned due to COVID-19. The spokesperson said there are 197 children in the state who have lost both their parents to COVID-19. As many as 1,799 children have lost either their father or mother to COVID-19 but the annual income of the surviving parents will be evaluated.

Around 1,000 children are likely to benefit from the Uttar Pradesh Mukhyamantri Bal Seva Yojana, he said. The state government will also provide tablets or laptops to all such children studying in schools, colleges, or pursuing vocational education, according to the spokesperson.

The Supreme Court had asked state governments to understand the agony of children starving on the streets and directed district authorities that they are immediately taken care of without waiting for any further orders from the courts. A vacation bench of Justices L N Rao and Aniruddha Bose directed district administrations to identify the orphans in their areas and upload their data on the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) website by Saturday evening.

The top court's direction came on an application filed by amicus curiae Gaurav Agrawal in the pending suo motu case seeking identification of orphaned children due to COVID-19 or otherwise and providing them immediate relief by the state governments. The bench said state governments must inform it of the position of these children and the steps they have taken to provide them immediate relief.