PM CARES scheme for children who lost parents to Covid

PM CARES scheme for children who lost parents to Covid

Subject: Polity

Section: Governance

Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi released benefits like scholarships and health insurance under the PM CARES for Children scheme to support children who lost their parents due to coronavirus during the pandemic.

PM CARES for Children

• Launched in May 2021 to ensure rehabilitation and education of children who lost caregivers to Covid between March 11, 2020, when Covid-19 was declared as a pandemic by the WHO, and February 28, 2022.
• The scheme applies to children who have lost both parents or a surviving parent or legal guardians/adoptive parents, to ensure their rehabilitation and education.
• Funded by PM Cares and with MoWCD at its nodal agency in the Centre, the scheme will provide a monthly stipend to each child from the age of 18 years, and a lump sum amount of Rs 10 lakh on attaining the age of 23.
• The benefits also include an annual scholarship of Rs 20,000 for school students and monthly financial support of Rs 4,000 for daily needs.
• Health coverage will be given through the Ayushman Card, and counseling through the Samvad helpline for psychological and emotional help.
• Different guidelines have been mentioned for the care of children under different age brackets.
  • Till six years of age, children will receive support from Anganwadi services for supplementary nutrition, pre-school education.
  • For children below 10 years of age, admission shall be provided in any nearest school – government/government-aided school/KendriyaVidyalayas (KVs)/ private schools – as a day scholar.
  • In private schools, tuition fees will be exempted along with other schemes under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan.
  • Additionally, the scheme will help place the orphaned children either in the care of relatives and family, or with Child Care Institutions (CCIs), or in a Sainik School, Navodaya Vidyalaya, or other residential schools.

Process to select beneficiaries

• Child Welfare Committees (constituted by the state governments under the Juvenile Justice Act) have been tasked with gathering facts about each case and recommending the child as a beneficiary to the District Magistrate (DM).
• The DM will then accept or reject the application and if accepted, the relevant bank accounts will be opened.
• Aadhaar registration of eligible children is needed to receive support under the scheme, and if the same is unavailable the DM has to facilitate it.
• National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) setup “Bal Swaraj” portal, where data of the orphaned children was uploaded.
• According to the government’s data, 1.53 lakh children were orphaned due to Covid-19.