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‘Shield of humanity’: Shiv Sena’s rare praise for Shivraj Singh Chouhan govt
The Shiv Sena mouthpiece, Saamana, said Maharashtra had set up a task force and discussed proposals to financially help children orphaned by Covid-19 “but Madhya Pradesh did not merely discuss this serious matter” and made the announcement.
Mumbai: The Shiv Sena on Saturday singled out the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government for praise for announcing a monthly pension for children who have lost their parents, saying this could be a role model for other states.
The Sena, in its mouthpiece Saamana, said state and central governments have to take cognizance of children who had become orphans due to Covid-19 and must be given the “shield of humanity”.
The Madhya Pradesh government on Thursday announced that children who lost their parents or guardians to Covid-19 will be provided free education and a ₹5,000 monthly pension. The state will also bear the expenses of education of these children.
The editorial in Saamana, which spoke about the plight of children who had lost their parents, welcomed the initiative.
“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 it 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.
In Maharashtra where the Shiv Sena leads the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi coalition government, the state government earlier this week decided to form a task force in each district under the collector to identify 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 several discussions have been happening about it. “In Maharashtra too the discussion happened over this issue but Madhya Pradesh did not merely discuss this serious matter and announced that they would give pension to such children,” the editorial said in a critical tone.
Madhya Pradesh was one of the first states to put the spotlight on the plight of children orphaned due to Covid-19 and take steps to ensure that unscrupulous people do not exploit the situation. Several other states followed suit.
On Thursday, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal also announced that the government will provide free education to children who have lost their parents to Covid-19 and extend financial assistance to all those, especially senior citizens, who have lost the only earning member of their family to the disease.
On Thursday, Chhattisgarh had declared that the government will pay for the education of children who have lost their parents to Covid-19. Under the scheme, a monthly stipend of ₹500 will be paid to such children from Classes 1 to 8 and ₹1,000 per month from Classes 9 to 12.
