NAGPUR: After having lost their mother, who was sole breadwinner in the family, to Covid-19 this year, two brothers aged 11 and 15 years are dependent on occasional help from some private organizations and initiatives. The mother used to work as domestic help while their father had passed away a few years ago.
The boys stay with their septuagenarian grandmother at Juni Mangalwari. With the government schemes yet to be implemented, the orphans are in lurch. Their poor relatives and even neighbours are barely able to help.
They are among the 51 children from Nagpur district who are waiting to turn 18 years to become eligible for Rs10 lakh aid from Central government's PM Cares Fund. The state government has promised Rs5 lakh for which government resolution was issued on June 17.
In addition, another 1,699 children, who have lost one of their parents to Covid, are supposed to be inducted into the ‘Balsangopan’ scheme through Women and Child Development (WCD) department. As per women and child development minister Yashomati Thakur, proposal has been mooted before the state cabinet for monetary assistance of Rs1,100 to such children. According to her, around 15,000 children in the state have lost one of their parents due to Covid.
Thakur said that WCD is already giving monetary assistance to the orphans. On state government’s special monetary assistance of Rs five lakh to Covid orphans, she said that the scheme was budgeted this year. “The file is currently with the finance department and should be cleared soon,” she said. According to Thakur, there are about 500 Covid orphans in the state.
As per a source in the WCD, government has asked the respective district units to open joint bank accounts of the orphans along with the district WCD officer. “There is a minor who had discontinued studies and picked up a job to sustain himself and his grandparents. Another 17-year-old girl from Satranjipura is keen to study further but Covid left her devastated after she lost of her parents,” said the WCD source.
The source said that sometime he children don’t even have enough cash to get photocopy of documents. “We offer them help,” the source said.
Former mayor Sandip Joshi has initiated a ‘Sobat Palaktatwa Prakalp’ to help Covid-affected families, especially children. He has taken up the responsibility of 250 families where 400 children are now under his care and watch.
Joshi said they have so far paid Rs 9.50 lakh in school fees for these children. “Women have been given skill development training, especially in jobs like masala-making and such projects. We will have their own brand of ‘Covid Swayam Siddha’ and an exhibition would be held during Diwali,” he said.
The former mayor had also created special ‘Family health card’ for free medical treatment and formed a panel of counsellors.
