The Jharkhand State Legal Services Authority (Jhalsa) has launched a project — Shishu-Sadaiv Twaya Sah — for such children who have lost both parents and the sole parent in Covid-19 pandemic this year.
The project has been prepared for helping those kids who have become orphaned due to Covid-19 pandemic by uniting them with their surviving & willing relatives or by rehabilitating them in accordance with the existing laws and continuing to support the children with food, clothes and shelter till such objectives are met. Jhalsa with its different district units District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) will assist district administration so that orphaned children are rehabilitated in accordance with the existing laws and become beneficiaries of Centre and State Government schemes.
The scheme was launched by Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh Judge, High Court of Jharkhand & Executive Chairman, JHALSA, Ranchi. The launch progarmme was attended by principal district judges of all 24 districts, member secretary of Jhalsa and secretaries of DLSA.
Centre as well as various state governments including Jharkhand has formulated schemes for helping such children who became orphaned during pandemic.
The Government of Jharkhand has announced that it will rehabilitate children orphaned by Covid-19 and it has guaranteed financial assistance to the caretakers. In case, other family members agree to take care of an orphaned child, they will be given monthly sponsorship assistance.
In his keynote address, Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh motivated the chairpersons and secretaries of the DLSA and other stakeholders for identification of children orphaned due to Covid-19 pandemic and providing those benefits of Jharkhand and Union Government schemes.
He said under this project we have to do a solemn task of contacting/identifying the grandparents/guardians of children who became orphaned due to the death of their parents by pandemic. No child orphaned due to Covid-19 will be left unattended.
Centre and Jharkhand Government has come up in supporting such kids, the Jharkhand Government will provide Rs 2,000 per month for a period of three years to orphaned kids which may be extended if required.
Jhalsa will also facilitate district administration for education of such kids at Kendriya Vidyalayas/Saninik Schools/Kasturba Gandhi Balika Awasiya Vidyalayas/Eklavya Awasiya Vidyalayas/Govt Residential Schools/Navodaya Vidyalayas.
Jhalsa member secretary Mohammed Shakir said, “A few private schools in Ranchi have decided to impart free education and offer other relief(s) to the children who have lost their parents to Covid-19 and are facing financial constraints, for example, Guru Gobind Singh Public School, Kamre and the Tender Heart School have announced such measures to provide free education at different levels.”
The Jhalsa will also provide facilities that orphaned kids also get benefits of Centre schemes. The Government of India on May 29, 2021 announced a special “PM-CARES for Children” scheme for all those orphaned due to Covid-19, which will include a corpus of Rs 10 lakh for each child till he/she reaches 18.
The Jhalsa with its different district units have identified 13 children who became orphaned due to the pandemic. The 13 kids include five from Ranchi and Gumla, and one each from Bokaro, Jamshedpur and Jamtara districts. The Jhalsa has asked its district units to identify more such kids.