Centre asks states/UTs for identification of COVID orphans, requests completion in 15 days

The Ministry of Women and Child Development has now asked the States/UTs for early identification of children who have lost their caregivers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The ministry informed administrations that children who lost parents/legal guardians due to COVID are eligible for receiving support under the PM Cares for Children Scheme. The ministry said it will be accepting requests for the same within the next 15 days.

Centre promises benefits for COVID orphan 

According to the notification by the ministry, children who lost their legal guardians due to COVID-19 from 11.03.2019 till the end of the pandemic will be entitled to benefits under the PM Cares scheme. The ministry has now asked district magistrates to conduct a drive for the identification of such children. It has also urged Gram Panchayats, Anganwadis and ASHA network to report such children to the Child Welfare Committee (CWC). The information could be passed on through the childline (1098) or District Child Protection Unit (DCPU).

Following the identification of such a child, the CWC with the DCPU will gather needed information for further processing of the benefits. In case, a child is rejected for the service, reasons to the same will be handed to the particular DM for further reviewing. The ministry in its notification said that the process will be completed on a ‘first in first out’ method. It also informed that the DM will have the final call regarding the eligibility.

1,19,000 Indian children lost caregivers to COVID, says study

According to a study published in The Lancet, more than 1.5 million children in 21 countries, including 1,19,000 from India, have lost their primary and secondary caregivers to COVID-19 during the first 14 months of the pandemic. The study funded in part by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), stated that 25,500 children in India lost their mother to COVID-19 while 90,751 lost their father and 12 lost both their parents.

The study estimates that 1,134,000 children lost a parent or custodial grandparent due to COVID-19. Of these, 10,42,000 children lost their mother, father or both. Most lost one, not both parents. The study showed that India was among the top countries where children have lost primary caregivers.

IMAGE: PTI