Morung Express News
Dimapur | February 6
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which has affected every aspects of life across the world, has changed the lives of 27 children forever in Nagaland, and 30,111 all over India.
Those children have either lost one or both one or both of their parents due to COVID-19 or have died because of any other reasons from April 2020 to June 5, 2021.
In Nagaland, during the cited period, 6 children were orphaned, lost both parents either due to COVID-19 or other causes, while 21 of them were left with only one parent.
However, there no cases of abandonment of children during the period from April 2020 to June 5, 2021 in Nagaland, though across India, 274 children were abandoned, informed data shared by informed the Union Minister of Women and Child Development, Smriti Zubin Irani in a written reply in the Lok Sabha on February 4.
The data were part of affidavit submitted by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) before the Supreme Court on July 6, 2021, she said. The data included “Re contagion of COVID-19 Virus in Children Protection Homes along with the data of children uploaded on the Bal Swaraj portal-COVID Care link which includes orphaned, single parent and abandoned children.”
As per the data annexed by the Minister in the reply, across India, a total of 3661 children were orphaned, while 26276 of them were left with single parent.
There are also 274 cases of abandonment, resulting in total impact on 30,111 children from April 2021 to June 5, 2021.
The list contains all children whose both or single parent has died due to COVID-19 or other causes, the Minister added.
Meanwhile, in a related query on whether the Union Government has any proposal for depositing Rs 10 lakh each in the name of these children and interest earned thereon can be used for their education, health, etc, Irani informed that PM CARES for Children Scheme was launched by the Prime Minister of India May 29, 2021 for the children.
“It aims to support children who have lost both the Parents or legal Guardian or Adoptive Parents or Surviving Parent to COVID-19 pandemic,” she said.
“The objective of the Scheme is to ensure comprehensive care and protection of children in a sustained manner, and enable their well being through health insurance, empower them through education and equip them for self-sufficient existence with financial support on reaching 23 years of age,” she added.
The Minister also informed the scheme is accessible through an online portal i.e. pmcaresforchildren.in. As of February 3, 2022, a total of 2022, 6654 applications have been uploaded on the portal out of which, 3890 applications have been approved as per procedure, she added.
