Give free education to children who lost parents to Covid: Sonia to PM
NEW DELHI: Congress chief Sonia Gandhi on Thursday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to provide free education to children who have lost either both parents, or the head of the household to Covid-19. She suggested the use of central Navodaya Vidyalayas across the country for the purpose.
In a letter to Modi, Gandhi said the nation owes it to such children to give them “hope for a robust future”. Gandhi’s letter comes days after Congress
leader G S Bali from Himachal Pradesh announced the party will adopt all children orphaned by the pandemic in the state’s Kangra district.In her letter, Gandhi recalled how the creation of Navodaya Vidyalayas across the country was her husband and late former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s most significant legacy. It was his dream to make high-quality modern education accessible and affordable to talented children predominantly from rural areas, she said.
Gandhi said as India battles the second Covid-19 wave, thousands of children have lost both their parents and have no one to look after them. She added that others are in a situation where a single surviving parent is unable to take care of them financially and psychologically.Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also tweeted, “Children are amongst the worst hit by Covid trauma, many having lost their parents to the dreadful situation.
Congress President makes an important suggestion to safeguard their future & provide them free education at NVs. It’s high time GOI listened!”
Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday announced that children, who have lost their parents to Covid-19 will be provided monthly assistance of Rs 2,500 up to the age of 25 years. Also, the government will provide them free education. BJP governments in UP and HP have also announced schemes to take care of the orphaned children.