469 kids in Lko lost either 1 or both parents to Covid
As many as 469 children lost either one or both parents to Covid in the state capital during the second wave of the pandemic and the count is expected to touch the 600 mark, said officials with Women and Child Welfare Department (WCD) that has been assigned with the task of rehabilitating such children.
“The pandemic situation has been tough for all. But it was tougher for the children. So far, we have recorded around 469 such children from Lucknow district who got affected in the pandemic,” said Vikas Singh, district probation officer (DPO), while going through the list of pandemic-affected children.
Of these 469 children, 19 were orphaned and remaining lost one of their parents, he said.
“As of now, we have registered around 419 such children while the paperwork of another 50 is in progress. We expect around 100 more such cases,” said Singh.
He said once the enrolment is done, then comes the rehabilitation part that is being done through WCD’s ‘Bal Seva Yojna’. Under the scheme, the department has also announced Rs 1,01,000 for female beneficiaries at the time of marriage and tablet/laptop to affected children (enrolled in Class 9 or above, less than 18 years of age).
Antigen report, positive
RT-PCR report, blood report and CT scan would be considered as a proof of death due to Covid. Cases where the patient tested negative and succumbed to postCovid complications would also be considered, he said.
Highlighting the requirements for enrolment, he said the beneficiary should be a citizen of UP (whose parents died either on March 1, 2020 or after). The scheme would also help children who lost one parent to Covid and whose family income is less than Rs 2 lakh. Under the scheme, a beneficiary in 0-10 age group would be given Rs 4,000 per month, provided the beneficiary is enrolled in a recognised school. In case a beneficiary is an orphan, the child welfare committee would ensure enrolment in class 6 to 12 in Kasturba Gandhi Awasiya Vidyalay. NGOs and experts on the subject said apart from focusing on children in urban areas, children in rural pockets are more vulnerable.
“There is a need for the department to strengthen the system in remote areas. Despite many welfare schemes, benefits are yet to reach beneficiaries. There is a need to sensitise newly elected pradhans that there is also need to identify vulnerable Covid affected children,” said Rajesh Mani, director Manav Sewa Samiti, an NGO working on cross-border child trafficking.