"Maa Bharati is with all of you," Prime Minister Narendra Modi told COVID-19 orphans who received their benefits under the PM CARES schemes for Children on Monday.
Mr. Modi also wrote an emotional personal letter to the beneficiaries. “A century ago, when the entire world was in the grip of a terrible pandemic like today, my mother lost her mother, that is, my maternal grandmother. My mother was so young that today she doesn’t remember her mother’s face. She spent an entire life in the absence of her mother, without her affection. Therefore, today, I can very well understand the anguish in your mind, the conflict in your heart,” he wrote.
A total of 4,439 children have been approved for the scheme. Children who lost both their parents or a primary caregiver between March 11, 2020 and February 28, 2022 are eligible for the scheme.
Addressing beneficiaries across various districts who joined the programme via teleconference, Mr. Modi said, "Today, the poorest of the poor is confident that they will receive benefits from government schemes. No poor person should be left out of government schemes is our utmost priority." The PM said that for the past eight years, his government had been dedicated to the welfare of the poor.
The scheme offers a lumpsum amount of ₹10 lakh when children turn 23 years old as well as a monthly stipend from 18 years to 23 years. School-going children will also receive free education, textbooks and uniforms at the nearest government schools. Those in private schools may avail fee reimbursement under norms for the Right to Education Act, 2005. Older students can also avail free education at residential schools such as Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalay. Students between Class 1 and Class 12 will also receive a scholarship of ₹20,000 per month from the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
Students can also avail loans for professional courses and higher education for payment of interest.
Beneficiaries can also avail health insurance cover of ₹5 lakh at public and private hospitals under the Pradhan Mantri-Jan Aarogya Yojana scheme.
