Pension for Covid orphans good move by MP: Sena

MUMBAI: Lauding the Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled Madhya Pradesh government for announcing a monthly pension for children orphaned during the Covid-19 pandemic, the Shiv Sena on Saturday said this could be a role model for other states.

The Sena, through its mouthpiece Saamana, said the governments — state or Union — have to take cognisance of children who have lost their parents due to Covid-19 and must give them “shield of humanity”.

Madhya Pradesh government on Thursday announced that children who lost their parents or guardians to Covid-19 will be provided free education and a monthly monetary aid of ₹5,000

The editorial in Saamana stated that any amount of praise for Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s decision was not enough. Sena lamented the loss of adults due to Covid, leading to several children left bereft of guardians.

“Many children are unaware that their parents who are fighting Covid-19 may not return from the hospital. The government will have to take care of these orphaned children by becoming their guardian. Whether it is the Union government or the state, they would have to take note of these children and give them the shield of humanity the way Madhya Pradesh’s Shivraj Chouhan has done,” the editorial said.

Earlier this week, the Maharashtra government decided to form a task force in each district to identify the children who have been orphaned due to Covid-19 to ensure their safety. The editorial added that the issue has been discussed on several occasions. “This was discussed in Maharashtra too, but Madhya Pradesh did not merely discuss this serious matter, they also announced that they would give pension to such children,” the editorial stated in a critical tone.