As the second wave of COVID-19 continues to wreak havoc across India with more than 400,000 cases being reported daily, many children in the country have lost their parents to the pandemic. In response to the crisis, when many children are left as the silent victims of the pandemic, the 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 pension of Rs. 5,000.
Apart from this, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan while announcing the decision also said that the state government will also provide free ration to those families not registered for it and the government will stand as a guarantor for those availing interest-free loans to start businesses.
The Chief Minister further said, “We can’t leave such persons alone. They are now the responsibility of the Madhya Pradesh government. Children who have lost their parents should not worry about their life. They are now the children of the state and the state will look after them.”
Madhya Pradesh is the first state in the country to start such a scheme for children and aged people whose kin died in the pandemic. But besides MP, the government of Jammu and Kashmir in efforts to fight the adverse condition on May 11 also announced a special scholarship for the children who lost their parents to the disease.
Other than this, actor Sonu Sood in one of his video messages too urged his fans to help such children who lost their parents in the pandemic. The actor also requested the government and various charitable organisations to announce free education for those children whose lives are affected severely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.