Andhra Pradesh Govt to disburse Rs10 lakhs ex-gratia for kids orphaned due to COVID-19

The Andhra Pradesh government has announced Rs 10 lakhs ex-gratia in the form of fixed deposit to the children, who lost their parents to COVID-19. The scheme applies to children below the age of 18 years whose families are below poverty line, the Chief Minister's Office said on Thursday.

The YS Jagan Mohan Reddy government hoped that by making a fixed deposit of Rs 10 lakhs per child, they could utilize the interest amount of Rs 5,000 for their sustenance and fixed deposit as security for their future. After attaining the age of 25 years they can redeem the FD amount of Rs 10 lakhs for their future.

The Medical and Health Department has issued guidelines for the implementation of the scheme, allowing the district collectors to apply the scheme in their respective districts. So far, the state has identified 34 orphaned children over the last week and the state government has issued FD bonds worth Rs 10 lakhs to each of them.

Chhattisgarh & Delhi govts announce financial aid 

Two weeks ago, the Chhattisgarh government decided to take the responsibility of educating children who have lost both their parents due to COVID-19 infection. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday said the state government will bear the expenses of children who lost their parents to the COVID-19 outbreak. He also pledged to extend monetary help to families who have lost their earning member to COVID.

Coronavirus situation in Andhra

Recoveries continue to outnumber fresh cases of coronavirus in Andhra Pradesh but the daily fatalities continue to hit the century mark, even as the state is in a comfortable position to handle the decreasing caseload. The latest bulletin showed 21,385 recoveries as against 16,167 fresh Covid-19 cases and 104 deaths in the 24 hours ending 9 am on Thursday.