PM releases benefits for kids orphaned by Covid
Youth from 18-23 years of age will get a stipend every month
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday released the benefits meant for children who lost their parents to Covid-19 under the PM Cares for Children scheme.
The announcement comes on the day the Modi-led National Democratic Alliance government marked its eight years in power.
The PM CARES for Children scheme was launched on May 29 last year to support children who lost both their parents, legal guardians, adoptive parents or surviving parents to the Covid-19 pandemic between March 11, 2020, and February 28, 2022.
“I am talking to you not as your Prime Minister, but as a member of your family... I know how difficult the situation is for people who have lost their family members during the Covid-19 pandemic. PM CARES for Children is a small effort to reduce the difficulties of such corona-affected children. It is also a reflection of the fact that every countryman is with you with the utmost sensitivity,” Modi told the children affected by the pandemic through videoconferencing on Monday.
“If someone needs an education loan for professional courses, or for higher education, then #PMCARES will help in that too. ₹ 4,000 have also been arranged for them every month through other schemes for other daily needs... The youth from 18-23 years of age will get a stipend every month and when they are 23 years old, they will get the amount of ₹ 10 lakhs,” he added.
A passbook of PM CARES for Children, and a health card under Ayushman Bharat - Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana were given to the children during the programme.
During the event, Modi also highlighted how India relied on its strength during the toughest times of the pandemic.
“We trusted our scientists, our doctors, and our youth. And, we came out as a ray of hope, not a worry for the world. We did not become the problem, but we came out as the solution giver,” the Prime Minister said. “We sent medicines, and vaccines to countries around the world. Even in such a big country, we took the vaccine to every citizen.”
The objective of the PM CARES for Children scheme is to ensure comprehensive care and protection of children in a sustained manner by providing them boarding and lodging, empowering them through education and scholarships, and equipping them for self-sufficient existence with the financial support of Rs 10 lakh on attaining 23 years of age and ensuring their well-being through health insurance.