Pune district has names of 1,900 minors who have lost one or both parents due to Covid; verification now on

After the devastating second Covid wave, the administration has bee gathering data of all aged below 18 years, who have been orphaned or have lost a parent due to the pandemic

After the devastating second Covid wave, the administration has bee gathering data of all aged below 18 years, who have been orphaned or have lost a parent due to the pandemic.

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The women and child welfare department (WCD) committee of Pune district has received 1,900 names of children who have lost one or both parents due to Covid. Of this, 53 minors have lost both parents.

According to officials, this is preliminary information and the number may vary after the background checks and verifications.

“We have taken help of various agencies in the district such as the Pune Municipal Corporation, Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation, and rural administration, to gather the information. As per official instructions, the data is from March 2020, when the pandemic began. Of these 1,900 minors, information of 1,600 has been updated,” said Param Anand, district child protection officer.

Of the 53 minors in the district who have lost both parents to the pandemic Anand said the district has custody of 10 children, who have been relocated to government facilities. “There are 43 living with close relatives,” said Anand.

The state government has announced a ₹5 lakh fixed deposit for orphaned children, which will be handed over when they turn 18.

Until then, financial aid will be given to the minors under the Balsangopan Yojana.

Women and child welfare officials have reached out to families that reported Covid-19 deaths with counseling, legal and financial aid. The process for enrolment of orphaned children, whose extended family members are not able to look after them, is ongoing.

“We have received these entries through secondary sources such as PMC, PCMC, and rural administration. So we need to verify the information and collect the appropriate documents so that the children will get the benefit of the schemes. Apart from orphans, we have approached almost 1,200 children who have lost one of their parents to see if they need help of any kind,” said Param Anand.

Number of minors who lost parent(s) due to Covid

As of August 24

PMC - 407

CMC - 325

Rural - 748

Municipal councils - 158

Source: Pune district women and child welfare department