Govt to launch welfare plan for families losing sole bread earner
Decision to launch the social security scheme was taken at cabinet meeting organised recently
KOTA: Rajasthan government is all set to launch a social security scheme for the families that have lost their earning members due to Covid-19.
The decision of formulation of a social security scheme was taken at the cabinet meeting held recently, following which chief minister Rajasthan Ashok Gehlot gave a go-ahead to the concerned departments.
Talking about the proposed social security scheme, transport minister Pratap Singh Khachariyavas, who also attended the cabinet meeting, said that the chief minister has instructed the government departments to prepare a draft of the scheme. “Social justice and empowerment department, along with other government departments, will formulate the social security scheme,” he said.
Under the plan, financial assistance will be provided to the families which have lost their bread earners due to the Covid-19. Benefit of widow pension, ration at cheap rates, palanhaar scheme and other pension schemes can be given to the aggrieved families, said Khachariyavas.
“Orders have been given to the government department for survey of such families in the state which have lost their earning members due to Covid,” he said.
“The government will also provide benefit of its Paalanhaar scheme to the children below 18 years of age orphaned due to death of their parents from Covid-19,” he added.
Nearly 7,800 people have died of Covid-19 in the state so far.
Sources revealed that orphaned children will be given a financial assistance of ₹500 per month and school-going kids will be given ₹1,000 per month. The social welfare department has asked districts to prepare applications of the affected families, so that the benefit can be extended to the families in a month’s time.
Meanwhile, on the call of Lok Sabha speaker and MP from Kota, Om Birla, some coaching institutes of Kota have announced to provide free coaching of medical and engineering entrance examination such as NEET and IIT-JEE to the children who have lost their parents due to Covid-19. The coaching institutes have also offered to provide free accommodation and food to such students.
While Rajasthan government has decided to launch the social security scheme for Covid-19 affected families, Delhi government was among the first states to have announced ex gratia amount of ₹50,000 to the families which have lost any family member due to Covid-19.
Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal has also announced a monthly pension of ₹2,500 per month for those whose sole earner of the family succumbed to Covid-19. The government has also decided to provide a pension of ₹2,500 per month to the kids who have lost their parents due to Covid-19. Such pension will continue till such kids attain age of 25 years, he announced.