COVID ORPHANS DECLINE ADOPTION OFFERS IN HP, FIND SUPPORT IN RELATIVES

DHARAMSHALA: At 16, he knows life is not going to be easy for his nine-year-old sister and him. Their world came crashing down in May when they lost their parents within a span of a few days to Covid-19 in Jogindernagar sub division of Mandi district as the second wave of the pandemic peaked in Himachal Pradesh. Of the 15 children orphaned due to the pandemic in the hill state, five are from Mandi district, four from Una, three from Hamirpur, two from Kangra and one from Solan district.

Taking on responsibility one day at a time

“I know there will be a lot of responsibility. A thousand thoughts come to mind, but I’ve decided to focus on my studies,” says the teenager, who is still recuperating from the coronavirus infection along with his sister. At present, the brother and sister live with their 65-year-old paternal grandmother.

The siblings flatly reject the idea of undergoing adoption. “No, I would not consider that. My sister is very young, but she understands. Our parents have left a house for us. We will stay with our maternal uncle eventually,” he says.

Another pair of siblings from Fatehpur sub division in Kangra district lost their parents to Covid-19 within a week. The mother of the 15-year-old boy and his seven-year-old sister died on April 29 in Ludhiana, where they lived, and the father succumbed to Covid complications at home on May 5.

Govt schemes for relief

Chief minister Jai Ram Thakur said under the CM’S Bal Seva Yojana, they will be provided ₹3,500 a month each of which ₹2,000 will be given by the Centre and ₹1,500 by the state government.