BHOPAL/RAIPUR: Madhya Pradesh became the first state to come to the aid of children who have become orphans or lost one of their parents/guardians in the Covid-19 pandemic.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said all these children/families will get Rs 5,000 as monthly pension.
The CM assured that his government will take care of those who lost their earning members during the pandemic.
The state government will also stand as guarantor for those availing interest free loans to start businesses, Chouhan said in a statement to media.
"We will provide education free of cost to the children who have lost their parents. They will be provided free ration even if they are not eligible for it," he said.
He noted that the COVID-19 pandemic has severely hit many families.
Children have lost their parents, while aged people are left alone as those taking care of them died due to the viral infection.
"Our government will stand by such children and families and provide Rs 5,000 pension per month to them," Chouhan said.
He said many aged people have lost their children.
They have no one to take care of them and they are facing problems of survival.
"We can't leave such persons alone. They are now the responsibility of the Madhya Pradesh government," he said.
Chouhan said children who have lost their parents should not worry about their life.
"They are the children of the state and it will look after them," the chief minister said.
Home Minister Narottam Mishra claimed MP is the first state in the country to start such a scheme for children and aged people whose kin died in the pandemic.
In the evening, Chhattisgarh, too, said the state government will bear the cost of education of children orphaned by Covid.
These announcements come five days after this newspaper started a series on children left orphaned in the second wave of the pandemic.
The Chhattisgarh government headed by Bhupesh Baghel said the Covid orphans will be covered under the Chhattisgarh Mahtari Dular Scheme from the ongoing academic session.
Irrespective of government or private schools, these students will get a yearly scholarship. The amount is Rs 500 from Class I-VIII and Rs 1,000 for Class IX-XII.
The state government has decided to launch the `Chhattisgarh Mahtari Dular Yojna' for such children, an official release said here.
Under the scheme, a stipend of Rs 500 per month will be paid to such children from Classes 1 to 8 and Rs 1,000 per month from Classes 9 to 12.
Children studying in both government and private schools will be entitled to this stipend, it said.
The state government will also fund the education of the children who have lost breadwinner of the family to COVID-19.
Such children will also get priority in admission to the state-run Swami Atmanand English Medium Schools, it added.
Task force in Maharashtra
The Maharashtra government has decided to form a task force to identify children orphaned by the pandemic and help them.
Yashomati Thakur, Minister for Women and Child Development, said these will be formed at the district level.
(With PTI Inputs)