The Odisha government announced on Sunday a new program for the education, health and livelihood of Covid-19 orphans with a monthly sum of ₹2500 will be provided for the orphans until they turn 18, announced Prime Minister Naveen Patnaik.
When announcing the program called Ashirvad, the Prime Minister said that children who lost their parents or the main breadwinner of the family to Covid-19 on April 1, 2020 or after will be covered by the program. The orphans can be children who have lost both or one of their parents.
The program mirrors several provisions of the PM Cares For Children program announced by the center last month, but provides several additional financial support for them as well as for surviving parents.
The amount of ₹2500 per month are deposited into the bank accounts of family members who took responsibility for the children after the death of the parents. Support continues until the child is 18 years of age or until a family adopts the minor.
However, if the orphan stays in a childcare facility, a recurring deposit of ₹1,000 per month will be added to the surviving parent’s account until the child turns 18. When a child has lost one of their parents who is the sole earning member, ₹1,500 per month are provided for the maintenance of the minor. If the surviving parent is female, they are also entitled to the Madhu Babu pension from ₹300 per month.
Officially, 54 children have lost both parents, while 967 have lost one of their parents to Covid-19 in Odisha.
These orphans are treated under the state government’s Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana, a state government program that provides free drugs, diagnostics, dialysis, chemotherapy, surgery, intensive care, and inpatient admission to state hospitals. Plus, they are also accepted as beneficiaries under the National Food Security Act (NFSA).
The children can also continue in the schools where they studied before their parents died. However, if the family member responsible for the child stays at another location, school care will be organized there. If necessary, the government will help to take in the children in Adarsh Vidyalaya or Kendriya Vidyalaya
If the child’s relative wants to enroll him in a private school, the district collector will provide all assistance in accordance with the right to education. The state government will also help these children complete a higher education as part of the Green Passage program announced earlier this week.
As part of the “Green Passage”, all educational expenses such as admission, tuition and examination fees for orphans who study at schools or universities and want to complete medical, engineering and other courses are covered by the state government.
The “Green Passage” program is aimed at children who are aiming for a higher degree in engineering, medicine and technology.
The CM announced that if the relative of the orphan who has taken responsibility for the child is entitled to a house under the Pradhan mantri Awas Yojana or Biju Pucca Ghar Yojana, an out-of-order assignment will be made for him. The relative is covered by any other state welfare system according to his or her entitlement.
The district child welfare committee will coordinate with the local Tehsildar and the police to protect the orphans’ property. The children can also receive financial support from Biju Sishu Suraksha Yojana and the Juvenile Justice Fund if needed.
The Prime Minister asked district collectors, with the assistance of the District Child Protection Committee, Childline and Panchayat level organizations, to compile a list of Covid orphans. He instructed the collectors to start an action every year so that no Covid orphans are excluded from the program.
The program comes three weeks after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a range of PM Cares For Children benefits for people orphaned due to Covid-19. As part of this, PM Cares will contribute to a corpus of ₹10 lakh for each child when they turn 18. From the corpus, a monthly scholarship is awarded to the age of 18-23 years to care for the personal needs of the child during the university time. At the age of 23, the child receives the corpus amount as a flat rate for personal and professional use. The government will ensure free education for these children too.
As part of the central program, children under the age of 10 are accepted as day pupils in the nearest Kendriya Vidyalaya or in a private school. PM Cares also covers the expenses for uniforms, textbooks and notebooks. For children between 11 and 18 years of age, the child is admitted to a state residential school such as the Sainik School and the Navodaya Vidyalaya.
If the child wishes to remain in the care of a guardian / grandparent / extended family, they will be admitted to the nearest Kendriya Vidyalaya or to a private school as a day pupil. If the child is enrolled in a private school, the fees according to the RTE standard are paid by PM Cares.
The child is supported in obtaining an educational loan for vocational courses / higher education in India according to the existing educational loan standards. The interest on this loan is paid by PM Cares.
source https://collegeeducationnewsllc.com/in-odishas-new-scheme-for-covid-19-orphans-monetary-assistance-till-age-of-18/
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