A total of 845 COVID-19 orphans have so far been identified and approved for receiving benefits under the PM CARES Fund.
With the aim to ensure comprehensive care and protection of children who have lost their parents to COVID-19, the PM Cares for Children Scheme will provide sustained support to such children by enabling their wellbeing through health insurance, empowering them through education, and equipping them for self-sufficient existence with financial support on reaching 23 years of age.
Earlier the government launched a portal allowing citizens to register such children so that they could be enrolled in the PM CARES scheme. A total of 3,915 applications have been submitted on the portal by citizens in the past four months. Of these, 845 have been approved by district magistrates.
The PM CARES for children scheme inter alia provides support to these children through a convergent approach, gap funding for ensuring education, health, monthly stipend from the age of 18 years, and lump sum amount of Rs 10 lakh on attaining 23 years of age.
The eligible children shall be enrolled from May 29, 2021 which is the date of announcement by the Prime Minister to December 31, 2021 to avail benefits of the PM CARES for Children Scheme. The scheme is expected to continue till the year when every identified beneficiary shall turn 23 years of age.
The eligibility criterion for the scheme will cover all children who have lost both parents or surviving parent, legal guardian/adoptive parents/single adoptive parent due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
( With inputs from ANI )
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