Free education, monthly stipend for children who lost parents to Covid-19

The ‘PM CARES for Children’ scheme will be applicable to children who have lost both parents or surviving parent or legal guardian/adoptive parent(s) in the pandemic between March 11, 2020 and December 31, 2021.

Free school education, assistance in getting loans for higher studies, health coverage under Ayushman Bharat scheme and a monthly stipend after attaining the age of 18 — these were among a slew of measures announced by the Centre on Thursday for children who lost both their parents to Covid-19, under the ‘PM CARES for Children’ scheme.

A health worker collects sample from a girl for Covid-19 test at a Children’s Home in New Delhi. Under the ‘PM CARES for Children’ scheme, children who lost both their parents will be supported by the government. (PTI)

On May 29, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced that the Union government will provide support to children who lost both their parents due to the infection.

In a set of guidelines to ensure comprehensive care and protection of such children, the ministry of women and child development said the scheme will be applicable to children who have lost both parents or surviving parent or legal guardian/adoptive parent(s) in the pandemic between March 11, 2020 and December 31, 2021.

Besides, the beneficiaries should be less than 18-years of age as on the death of their parents to avail the benefits. The scheme is expected to continue till the year when every identified beneficiary shall turn 23 years of age, the guidelines said.

The guidelines fixed the responsibilities at different levels with the ministry working as the nodal point for execution at the central level.

According to the guidelines, the district magistrates (DMs) will be the nodal authority at the district level for execution of the scheme. The DMs, with assistance of the Child Welfare Committee (CWC), will first try to rehabilitate the child within her/his extended family, relatives, kith or kin. In case that is not an option, the child, aged between 4 to 10, should be placed in foster care after due diligence as prescribed under the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015.

“If the foster family is not available/not willing/not found fit by CWC, or the child (aged 4 -10 years or above) is not willing to live with them, the child is considered eligible beneficiaries under the PM CARES for Children Scheme and should be placed in age appropriate and gender appropriate Child Care Institution (CCI),” the guidelines said.

For children below 6 years of age, identified beneficiaries will receive support and assistance from the Anganwadi services for supplementary nutrition, pre-school education/ ECCE (early childhood children education), immunization, health referrals, and health check-up.

Besides, children above 10 years of age, who are not willing to live in child care institutions, may be enrolled in central government-run-residential schools such as Netaji Subhash Chand Bose Awasiya Vidyalaya, Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya, Eklavya Model Schools, Sainik Schools, Navodaya Vidyalaya, or any other residential school by the DM.

For non-institutional care, financial support will be provided to children (in account of the guardian) and for children in institutional care, a maintenance grant will be given to the CCIs, the guidelines stated.

Under the scheme, the DMs will ensure that the beneficiaries are provided admissions in any nearest school as a day scholar. “In government schools, two sets of free uniform and textbooks shall be provided, under Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan, as per the scheme guidelines. In private schools, tuition fees shall be exempted under section 12(1)(c) of Right to Education (RTE) Act. Under circumstances where a child is unable to receive above benefits, the fees, as per the RTE norms, will be given from the PM CARES for children scheme. The scheme will also pay for expenditure on uniforms, textbooks, and notebooks,” the guidelines said.

For higher or professional education, beneficiaries will be assisted with obtaining an education loan and interest will be paid from PM CARES for Children Scheme in case they are unable to clear them. Besides, several scholarships will also be provided to the beneficiaries.

According to the guidelines, a lump sum amount from PM CARES will be transferred directly in the post office account of beneficiaries upon opening and validation of their account. A pro-rata amount will be credited upfront in the account of each identified beneficiary such that the corpus for each beneficiary becomes ₹10 lakh at the time of attaining 18 years of age.

“Children will receive a monthly stipend once they attain 18 years of age, by investing the corpus of ₹10 lakh. The beneficiary will receive stipend till they attain 23 years of age. They will receive an amount of ₹10 lakh on attaining 23 years of age,” it added.

Meanwhile, the beneficiaries will also be covered under Ayushman Bharat Scheme (PM-JAY) with a health insurance cover of ₹5 lakhs, till 18 years of age, and the premium will be paid by the PM CARES.