The novel Coronavirus had a deadly impact on India severely affecting the economy of the country. Over four lakh people have lost their lives to the virus.
As a dangerous effect of Covid, a lot of children became orphans and lost their loved ones with their parents or guardians breathing their last fighting the respiratory disease.
To lend a helping hand to children who lost their parents to Covid, the union government announced Free Health Insurance for those children.
As per the scheme, children who are below the age group of 18 will be given health insurance worth Rs 5 lakh each. The amount that has to be paid as the premium will be paid from the Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations (PM-CARES) Fund.
Union Cabinet Minister Anurag Thakur said, the decision was taken as part of the measures taken by the government to take care of these children.
Elaborating further, the Union Minister said that the children will be provided with stipend every month till they attain the age of 18. Once they turn 23, each student will be given Rs 10 lakh.
However, the stipend will be given to those kids who have lost either their parents or guardians..
After knowing that several children became orphans due to the Covid pandemic, the union government launched the PM CARES for Children Scheme in 2021 with an intention to provide support to the children who are going through trauma of losing their parents or guardians.
As a welcome move, the state governments are also doing their bit to support these kids in their respective states.
Several states have announced schemes that provide education facilities to these victims while they will also be given stipends monthly.
States like Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, and others have launched such schemes.
Going by a survey conducted by a National Commission, the ongoing pandemic has left more than 30,000 children as orphans.
Losing parents or guardians at a young age would leave a toll on their mental health condition. That is the reason why a few NGOs have appealed to the governments to take measures on this.