Pension for Covid orphans good move by Madya Pradesh: Sena

Lauding the Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled Madhya Pradesh government for announcing a monthly pension for children orphaned during the Covid-19 pandemic, Shiv Sena on Saturday said that this could be a role model for other states

Lauding the Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled Madhya Pradesh government for announcing a monthly pension for children orphaned during the Covid-19 pandemic, Shiv Sena on Saturday said that this could be a role model for other states.

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The Sena, through its mouthpiece Saamana, said that the governments — state or Union — have to take cognisance of children who have lost their parents due to Covid-19 and must give the “shield of humanity”.

Madhya Pradesh government on Thursday announced that children who lost their parents or guardians to Covid will be provided free education and a ₹5,000 monthly pension. The state will also bear the expenses of the education of these children.

The editorial in Saamana said that any amount of praise for Chouhan’s decision was not enough. Sena lamented the loss of the many adults due to Covid-19 leading to several children left bereft of guardians.

“Many children are unaware that their parents who are fighting Covid may not return from the hospital. The government will have to take care of these orphaned children by becoming their guardian. Whether is the Union government or the state, they would have to take note of these children and give them the shield of humanity the way Madhya Pradesh’s Shivraj Chouhan has done,” the editorial said.

Earlier this week, the Maharashtra government decided to form a task force in each district under the district collector to identify the children who have been orphaned due to Covid-19 to ensure their safety. The editorial added that many have expressed concern over the issue and it has been discussed on several occasions. “This was discussed in Maharashtra too, but Madhya Pradesh did not merely discuss this serious matter, they also announced that they would give pension to such children,” the editorial said in a critical tone.