The State government has sanctioned ₹3.2 crore as financial assistance for 87 children who have lost their parents/guardians to COVID-19.
In a statement here on Friday, Minister for Women and Child Development Veena George said that funds for a ₹3-lakh fixed deposit and a monthly payment of ₹2,000 till the time the children turned 18 had been sanctioned. Besides this, education expenses till the children graduated would be met from the Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund.
Ms. George said Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) personnel had conducted house visits and collected the children’s details. The district child protection units had then reviewed each child’s situation, and submitted a report to the child welfare committee (CWC) concerned. On its basis, steps for the welfare of each child had been taken.
The government, she said, had issued an order stipulating the guidelines for sanctioning the financial assistance. Children who had lost both parents to COVID-19, those whose parents had become COVID negative but had died owing to related health problems within three months, those who had lost one parent earlier, and had lost the remaining parent to COVID-19, children who had been abandoned by one parent and had lost the remaining parent to the disease, those whose parents had died or abandoned them and who were living with relatives but their guardians had succumbed to COVID-19 would be given assistance without considering the family’s income limit or other guidelines.
Families receiving the family pension for government servants will not be considered for financial assistance, nor if the current guardians of the child inform in writing that they do not want the financial assistance. However, they could rejoin the scheme before the children turned 18 and receive the assistance for the remaining period.
Children eligible for the government support will be able to withdraw the one-time assistance of ₹3 lakh after they turn 18, but can withdraw the interest anytime they require it. The assistance of ₹2,000 a month can be deposited in the bank account of the child and the current guardian.
Their education expenses will be sanctioned directly to the educational institution.
A scheme monitoring committee has also been constituted. The committee will take a final decision if there is any doubt on cases reported throughout the district child protection officer, the statement said.
