Jajpur: COVID has had a lasting impact on many families. In some cases, entire families have been wiped out, in others the sole breadwinner is dead, while in others, children have been left orphaned with both the parents succumbing to COVID. It is the latter category that is a major cause for worry all over the world.
Odisha too has its share of COVID orphans. Jajpur has one of the highest numbers. As many as 1,998 children in the district have been orphaned since the COVID-19 outbreak last year. These children have either lost one of their parents or both due to various reasons between April 1 last year and July 31, 2021.
Now, the district administration is preparing a database of these orphaned children to include them in the Ashirbad Yojana of the state government. Regardless of the cause of their parents’ death, all children who have been orphaned will receive financial assistance, according to District Child Protection Officer (DCPO) Niranjan Kar said.
Under the scheme, the state government will provide Rs 2,500 per month for every kid who has been orphaned. The amount will be transferred to the bank accounts of guardians or caretakers of the beneficiaries till they attain the age of 18 years.
Where the children have to be shifted to childcare institutions in the absence of a caretaker, an additional amount of Rs 1,000 will be allotted to them every month. The state government will also facilitate their education in schools.
The guardians and caretakers of these children have been asked to approach the district child protection units with death certificates and Aadhaar cards of the deceased and bank passbooks to avail benefits under the Ashirbad scheme. “After receiving the necessary documents, we will scrutinise them and prepare a list of beneficiaries. We are taking steps to link all the orphans with the scheme,” Kar told The New Indian Express.