THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As many as 74 children who lost parents due to Covid will be first to receive the financial aid announced by the government. The women and child welfare department has issued orders to give beneficiaries a fixed deposit of Rs 3 lakh and a monthly aid of Rs 2,000 to the joint account of the child and the present guardian.
The monthly financial aid will continue till the child reaches the age of 18. Minister for Women and Child Welfare Department, Veena George, said that educational expenses of the child will be met from the Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund till graduation. Finance department will make provisions in this regard, she said. The beneficiaries will be those who either lost both parents or lone parent, to Covid.
The state started considering financial aid to children after second wave of Covid resulted in the death of hundreds of people in the age group of 30 and 50, leaving the lives of children in uncertainty. As per the official records, over 12,000 people lost their lives to pandemic. However public health activists warned that the actual numbers would be at least four times the official figures leading to the denial of benefits to a lot of children orphaned by the pandemic. They demanded the government to set the records proper to ensure social justice to the families affected.