Minister for Women and Child Welfare Shashikala Jolle on Thursday held a virtual meeting with children orphaned by COVID-19 and their guardians/caretakers/relatives and counselled them, promising that the government would support them by bearing the cost of education and their upbringing.
During a three-hour-long virtual meeting, the Minister listened to problems faced by children and informed them of the department’s plans on providing admission to schools and colleges, their accommodation and financial support.
The Minister enquired about personal problems and difficulties faced by children. She asked guardians to develop confidence among children and take steps for removing scars of the pandemic.
She also told guardians/caretakers to strive for all-round development of children, including providing food and shelter. The State government has formulated the ‘Chief Minister Bala Seva Yojana’ for taking care of such children. Under the scheme, financial support of ₹3,500 per month would be given to children, aged below 10 years, who have lost their both parents/single parent/adopted person/family breadwinner owing to COVID-19.
In case there are no caretakers/guardians, they would be taken care of by registered childcare institutions. For giving education, these children would be provided admission in residential schools.
For children passing Class 10, it was decided to give laptops free of cost for pursuing higher education/vocational education and skill development. For girls aged 21 years, the government would provide ₹1 lakh for pursuing higher education, self-employment and marriage expenses.
