Bihar CM Nitish Kumar announces financial aid for children orphaned due to COVID-19

The Bihar government on Sunday, May 30, stated that under the 'Bal Sahayata Yojana', children who have lost either of their parents owing to COVID-19 will receive a monthly stipend of Rs 1,500. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar of Bihar, also stated that orphaned children who do not have a guardian or caretaker will be cared for at a children's home. Orphaned girls will be given preference at Kasturba Gandhi Girls Residential School, he said.

Bihar CM announces 'Bal Sahayata Yojana'

Bihar CM tweeted, "Those children, both of whose parents have died, of which at least one has died from Corona, will be given 1500 rupees per month by the state government till the age of 18 under the 'Bal Sahayata Yojana'. The orphans, who do not have guardians, will be looked after in the children's home. Such orphan girls will be nominated in Kasturba Gandhi Girls Residential School on priority."

COVID-19 situation in India

On Saturday, Bihar exhibited notable signs of a lull in the raging second wave of COVID-19, with a considerable decline in the number of people infected with the terrible Coronavirus and those who succumbed to the disease. The death toll has risen to 5,052 persons, according to the health authorities, with 1491 people testing positive since the previous day, bringing the total to 7.04 lakhs. In the last week, the state has seen more than 600 COVID-19 deaths. On many days, the death toll hovered around 100, and on rare occasions, it surpassed the three-digit threshold.

The number of recovered COVID-19 patients reached 6.78 lakhs, with a recovery rate of 96.29 percent, up about 20% from the peak earlier this month, when more than 10,000 persons were infected weekly. As a result, the active caseload, which was more than one lakh at the start of the month, has decreased. There are now 21,084 active cases in the state. More than 1.03 crore people have been vaccinated in the state, which has a population of almost 13 crores. Inoculation of persons aged 18 to 44 years, for whom the facility was unrolled less than a year ago, has been doing well in Bihar. Until now, 15.95 lakh persons in the age group have been born.

(with inputs from PTI)

Picture Credit: PTI