30 kids orphaned by Covid in Haryana

Bhartesh Singh Thakur
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, May 31

A 29-day-old girl in Rohtak lost her parents to Covid in May. The yet-to-be-named girl and her brother, who studies in Class II, are being taken care of by their grandmother.

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In Sirsa, an LKG student and her two sisters — one in Class VIII and the other in Class V — lost their parents to the virus within a gap of seven days in April. Their uncle and aunt are looking after them.

Two are dropouts

• Of the 30 children — 17 boys and 13 girls — 23 are siblings
• Sixteen of them are living with their grandparents, while the rest are staying with other relatives
• One of them is a newborn and two are school dropouts
• The annual income of relatives, who are taking care of these children, is less than Rs5 lakh

These are among 30 children orphaned by Covid. Besides, 1,479 children lost one of their parents, according to the Women and Child Department of Haryana.

Financial aid

Under the Mukhya Mantri Bal Sewa Yojana, children who lost both their parents/caretakers will get a monthly aid of Rs2,500 till the age of 18 years. Besides, they will receive Rs12,000 annually for other expenses.

There are also cases of single-parent succumbing to Covid. A Class VIII dropout in Sirsa lost his mother on May 6. His father had died of heart attack in 2019. He lives with his 20-year-old sister.

Of the 30 children — 17 boys and 13 girls — who lost both their parents, 23 are siblings. Sixteen of them are living with their grandparents, while the rest are staying with other relatives.

One of the children studies in LKG, another in Class II, three each in Class V, VI and VII, four in Class VIII, two in Class IX, four in Class X, one in Class XI, and four in Class XII.

One of them is a newborn and two are school dropouts.

There is also a 16-year-old mentally challenged and visually impaired boy, who the state government has adopted. He lost his step-parents to Covid in May. He is living at Child Care Institution (CCI) in Gurugram.

The annual income of relatives, who are taking care of these children, is less than Rs 5 lakh.

“The children orphaned by Covid are our priority. The child welfare committees will soon assess their needs. After directions from the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), we uploaded details of the children on the Bal Swaraj portal,” said Hema Sharma, Director General, Women and Child Development Department.

Under the Mukhya Mantri Bal Sewa Yojana, announced on May 29 by the state government, children who lost both their parents/caretakers will get a monthly aid of Rs 2,500 till the age of 18 years. Besides, they will get Rs 12,000 annually for other expenses.