Declaring that February 24, which marks the birth anniversary of former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, will be observed as the ‘State Girl Child Protection Day’, Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Wednesday announced five schemes for children living in government-run homes.
Making a suo motu statement in the Assembly, he said that when the orphaned girls living in government-run homes complete 21 years of age, the government will deposit ₹2 lakh in the bank in their name. “It will help them establish a life in society after they leave the government homes,” he said.
Further, a scheme was announced for girls who face problems after leaving government-run homes on completion of 18 years of age. “A special grant will be given to ensure their social and financial safety. It will include assistance for higher education, skill development, job opportunities and self-employment. The assistance will continue to be provided till they complete 50 years of age,” the CM said. Mr. Palaniswami said the monthly amount paid to the foster parents of the girls will be increased from ₹2,000 to ₹4,000.
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Noting that the cradle baby scheme introduced by Jayalalithaa had reduced cases of female infanticide, the CM said the female sex ratio was still less than the average in many districts. “The district administrations that make efforts to improve the female sex ratio will get medals,” he said.
The CM said priority will be accorded to inmates of homes run by the Social Welfare department in appointments to ‘C’ and ‘D’ category jobs in the department as well as the Integrated Child Protection Scheme, which were not covered by the TNPSC.