NEW DELHI: Over half of PM CARES for children scheme applications for COVID-19 orphans have been rejected, officials said Tuesday.
The Ministry of Women and Child Development received 9,331 applications from 613 districts across 33 states and union territories (UTs). However, only 4,532 applications from 558 districts in 32 states and UTs were approved.
Ministry officials said that while 4,781 applications were rejected, 18 are pending approval, without sharing the reason behind the rejection.
Launched at the peak of COVID-19 cases in India on May 29, 2021, the PM CARES for Children scheme aims to support children who lost their parents, a legal guardian, adoptive parents, or a surviving parent to the pandemic between March 11, 2020, and May 5, 2023.
Among the states, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh reported the highest number of applications, with 1,553, 1,511, and 1,007 applications, respectively.
The approval rates in these states are 855 applications from Maharashtra, 210 from Rajasthan, and 467 from Uttar Pradesh.
Officials said that a year after the scheme was launched, the ministry received 9,042 applications from 33 states and 611 districts, of which 4,345 applications were approved in 2022.
In parliament last year, former Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani said that over 4000 children who lost both parents and surviving parents due to the COVID-19 pandemic are being supported under the PM CARE scheme.
The minister told the Lok Sabha in August last year that of the 4,418 children being supported under the scheme, 836 are from Maharashtra alone.
Maharashtra is followed by Uttar Pradesh at 441. The other states are Madhya Pradesh (432), Tamil Nadu (394), Andhra Pradesh (351), Telangana (257), Karnataka (231), and Gujarat (223).
According to the Women and Child Development Ministry, as many as 2,305 children live in childcare institutions in India. The maximum number is in Tamil Nadu, at 221. It is followed by Karnataka (154), West Bengal (164), Rajasthan (156), and Orissa (140).
The scheme aims to ensure sustained comprehensive care and protection of children, enable their well-being through health insurance, empower them through education, and equip them for a self-sufficient existence with financial support until they are 23 years of age.
Children between the ages of 18 and 23 are entitled to receive a monthly stipend by investing Rs 10 lakhs in the monthly income scheme of the Post Office.
They are entitled to receive the amount of Rs 10 lakh upon attaining the age of 23.
Under the scheme, admission to the nearest Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan/Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya, or private school has been provided. Further, scholarships of Rs 20,000 are provided to all school-going children in classes 1–12.
Children are also assisted in obtaining education loans for professional courses or higher education, the interest of which is borne by the PM CARES Fund.
All children have been enrolled under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri-Jan Arogya Yojna (AB PM-JAY) with a health insurance cover of Rs 5 lakh. The coverage will be provided until they attain the age of 23.