As the current government completes seven years in office, it is battling with the Covid19 pandemic which has escalated into a second wave.

In an announcement the central government said that children who have lost both parents, the surviving parent, legal guardians or adoptive parents to Covid-19 will receive financial assistance under the PM-CARES for Children’s scheme.

The central government has also extended pension coverage under the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) scheme to all registered dependents of those who died due to Covid-19.

PM Modi said that efforts are being made through these schemes to mitigate financial difficulties that may be faced by the children and families which lost earning members due to Covid19 Earlier a meeting was organized to “discuss and deliberate” on steps which could be taken to support children who have lost parents to the pandemic. Headed by PM Modi, the meeting announced financial assistance for these children in the form of fixed deposits, free education as well as health insurance.

The announcement comes days after the Ministry of Women and Child Development said that 577 children across the country had been orphaned during the second wave of the pandemic.

PM Modi stated that government is able to take these measures only due to generous contributions to the PM-CARES Fund.

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As states announce their own relief measures, the Centre’s safety net for a section of the Covid-affected people may see a growing demand to expand it beyond those covered by EPFO or ESIC.

Through a specially designed scheme, the PM-CARES will contribute to create a corpus of Rs 10 lakh for each child when he or she reaches 18 years of age. This corpus will be used to give a monthly financial support or stipend. It will be given through a fixed deposit in the name of the child, from 18 years of age for the next five years to take care of his or her personal requirements during the period of higher education. On reaching the age of 23 years, she/he will get the corpus amount as one lump-sum for personal and professional use.
For children below 10 years of age, admission will be given in the nearest Kendriya Vidyalaya or in a private school as a day scholar. In case the child is admitted in a private school, the fees as per the RTE norms will be given from the PM CARES. The PM-CARES will be used to pay for expenditure on uniforms, textbooks and notebooks.

For children in the age group of 11-18 years, the child will be given admission in any Central government residential school such as Sainik School and Navodaya Vidyalaya. If the child continues to live with grandparents, extended family or a guardian, then he or she will be given admission in the nearest Kendriya Vidyalaya or in a private school as a day scholar.

Assistance in the form of education loans for professional courses and higher education in India “as per the existing Education Loan norms’’ and interest on this loan will be paid by the PM-CARES.

It was also announced that all Covid-19 orphans will be enrolled as beneficiaries under the Ayushman Bharat Scheme (PM-JAY) with a health insurance cover of Rs 5 lakhs. For such children, the premium amount, till the age of 18 years, will be paid by PM-CARES.

The Ministry of Women and Child Development had also announced that it had allotted a sum of Rs 10 lakh per district for non-institutional care of Covid orphans, which is to be distributed by under the Integrated Child Protection Scheme of the Ministry. This money would be distributed by district officials as they deem fit.

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UNICEF India’s chief Yasmin Haque had said that children who are orphaned by Covid19 “are not only living an emotional tragedy, but they are also at high risk of neglect, abuse and exploitation.”
Another worrisome trend has come to light recently. Some Covid19 caused orphans are also being put up for illegal adoption on social media.

Akancha Srivastava, a cybersecurity expert who has launched a coronavirus helpline for children said, “We do not know how many people are dying, let alone how many children are orphaned.”

Ministry of Women and Child Development has warned that unofficial approaches to adopting COVID-19 orphans are a “trap” and “illegal”.

The step taken by GOI is a welcome step in a grim situation where many suspect that the number of dead due to Covid19 is way higher than the official figure, including the number of Covid-orphans.