MP: `5K/mth, free edu, food for kids orphaned by Covid
In a first of its kind initiative in the country, Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday unveiled a package for rehabilitation of children orphaned due to the coronavirus pandemic in the state.
The package has envisaged a provision of a monthly pension of `5,000, free education and ration for such kids.
The free ration would be provided to these children irrespective of the financial background of their families, Mr Chouhan announced.
“Many children have been orphaned in the pandemic. They cannot be left in the lurch. They are now the responsibility of the Madhya Pradesh government. They are the children of the state and it will take care of them,” the chief minister said in a statement to the media.
The children who lost their parents need not worry about their life, he added.
Madhya Pradesh is the first state in the country to take the initiative to rehabilitate the children orphaned by the pandemic.
He also declared that the government would take care of those who lost their sole bread earners in their family.
The chief minister said the government would stand guarantor for those availing interest free loans to start their business.
Sources said the chief minister directed the state health department to compile data on such children for implementation of the package.
Meanwhile, the chief minister on Thursday indicated that he would review the pandemic situation in the different districts on May 17 before taking a decision as to if the “janata curfew” or lockdown clamped in 52 districts in the state since April 12 would be extended or phased out.