Lekha G
The Centre has announced financial assistance to children who have lost both parents or surviving parent, legal guardian or foster parents to Covid-19 under the PM-CARES for Children’s scheme.
The scheme would include a fixed deposit in name of the children creating a corpus of INR 10 lakh for each child when he or she reaches 18 years of age.
The corpus would give monthly financial support from 18 years to the next five years for personal requirements of the child during period of higher education. At 23 years of age, the corpus amount as a lump-sum would be provided for personal and professional use.
A Government statement said, “The child will be given admission in nearest Kendriya Vidyalaya or in a private school as a day scholar. If the child is admitted to a private school, the fee as per the RTE norms will be given from the PM CARES. The fund will also pay for expenditure on uniform, textbooks and notebooks.”
Further, children aged between 11 to 18 years would be given admission in any Central Government residential school and if the child is under care of guardian, grandparents or extended family, admission in nearest Kendriya Vidyalaya or in a private school as day-scholar would be given.
The child will also be assisted in obtaining education loans for professional courses and higher education in India as per the education loan norms and loan interest will be paid by PM CARES.
In case of undergraduate and vocational courses, a scholarship equivalent to the fee would be provided under Central or State Government schemes. PM CARES would provide an equivalent scholarship to children who are not eligible under such existing schemes.
Further, all the children would be enrolled as a beneficiary under Ayushman Bharat Scheme (PM-JAY) with health insurance cover of INR 5 lakh and PM Cares would pay the premium till 18 years of age.
The decision came after the Ministry of Women and Child Development had pointed out that around 577 children across the country had been orphaned during the second wave of the pandemic.