Uttarakhand CM announces scheme for children who lost parents to COVID-19
May 23, 2021
Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], May 23 : The Uttarakhand government has decided that it will bear the responsibility of children who lost their parents due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a tweet on Saturday, Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat, "The government has decided that to bear the responsibility of children who have lost their parents due to the Covid-19 pandemic. For this, we have come up with 'Mukhyamantri Vatsalya Yojana'."
According to the Union Health Ministry, there are 5,270 active coronavirus cases, 8,780 discharges/recoveries and 116 deaths.
Earlier on Saturday, Bharatiya Janata Party president JP Nadda wrote to all party-ruled states regarding a scheme for the welfare of children who have been orphaned due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The scheme will be implemented on May 30, the day the NDA government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi completes seven years in office.
The party chief has asked all BJP ruled states to prepare draft for welfare policy at the earliest for children who have lost their parents to COVID-19 based on "situation, needs and tradition" of their states.
Considering the surge in mortality during the second wave of the Coronavirus pandemic and its impact on families, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had written a letter on May 21 to all states and Union Territories (UTs) directing them on steps for the protection of "vulnerable sections" especially children who lost parents due to COVID-19.
The letter informed states/UTs on the advisory by MHA on standard operating procedures for preventing and combating crimes against vulnerable sections of the society, including women, children, senior citizens and Scheduled Castes/ Scheduled Tribes, and as well as for putting in place institutional mechanisms for preventing and countering human trafficking.
