The Delhi High Court on Monday directed Delhi State Legal Service Authority (DSLSA) to help the state government to streamline the system, to help the needy children who lost their parents during COVID-19 in getting verification of their documents.
A bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Jasmeet Singh has issued notice to DSLSA asking it to play an active role in helping the Delhi government to streamline the system and to help needy children in the verification process of their documents.
The high court was hearing various aspects connected to the COVID-19 crisis, including the rehabilitation of children who have lost one or both parents due to the infection.
"It will be unfair to expect children who lost their parents to be able to procure documents and to avail benefits for which they are entitled to," said Delhi High Court.
The court also noted that around 6200 children have lost one parent and 292 children have lost both their parents and the figures are likely to change due to the collection of fresh data.
The court asked the Delhi government to evolve a simple process while ensuring the benefits to needy children. The court also asked the Chief Secretary to file a status report relating to the welfare schemes under the Juvenile Justice Act.
Advocate Prabhsahay Kaur, representing NGO Bachpan Bachao Andolan, informed the court about a family of seven siblings, who have been orphaned during the second wave of COVID-19 in the national capital in the months of April and May.
Advocate Kaur also told the court that the state government framed various schemes in June this year, but the implementation on the ground is still lacking. Senior advocate Rahul Mehra, appearing for Delhi Government, submitted that implementation of the scheme for grant of ex gratia due to COVID-19 is taking time due to the requirement of verification of documents.
The court said that since the schemes have been framed to grant benefits to children and the approach of the government has to be to act proactively rather than handling such applications in a routine way and hoped that the chief secretary will brush out such issues after holding meetings with all stakeholders including principal secretaries of departments.
The court has listed the matter for further hearing on September 9.
( With inputs from ANI )
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