Seven children orphaned due to Covid in Himachal: CM

State government will provide ₹2,500 every month for maintenance of each such child living with extended families till the age of 18 years

Seven children have been orphaned due to the Covid-19 pandemic in Himachal Pradesh and the state government will take care of them, chief minister Jai Ram Thakur has announced.

All seven children orphaned due to Covid-19 in Himachal Pradesh are living with their extended families. (Representative photo/HT)

Thakur said in Shimla on Tuesday that the state government will provide ₹2,500 every month as financial assistance for the maintenance of each such child living with extended families till the age of 18 years.

All seven children orphaned due to Covid-19 in the state are living with their extended families. He said the government had approached their guardians, but they refused to send the children to childcare institutions.

“Directions have been issued to field officers to initiate action immediately for placing them under foster care and provide ₹2,500 monthly assistance to each,” Thakur said.

Grant for kids to continue online education

The chief minister said the government recently took steps for the care and protection of children amid the pandemic. Children enrolled in childcare institutions, who have been temporarily restored to their families due to the closure of schools amid the pandemic, will be provided ₹2,000 a month to enable them to continue their online education.

At present, 598 children are being benefitted under this scheme.

He said oximeters, thermometers and thermal scanners have been provided to all childcare institutions and employees working in these institutions have been declared frontline workers for vaccination.

Under the Mother Teresa Asahay Maitri Sambal Yojana, an annual assistance of ₹6,000 a child is being provided to widows for the maintenance of two children up to the age of 18 years. Families whose annual income does not exceed ₹35,000 are covered under this scheme.