By : Sabatini Chatterjee
Recently, the Government of Madhya Pradesh has initiated a scheme for COVID relief for children’s who are orphaned by the death of single parent. This scheme is launched as a pilot project under the supervision of Mandsaur district administration.
Muskurata Mandsaur Yojana was launched with the help of private donors, will offer Rs 2,000 monthly for such children for the next two years, as well as ensure free education in both government and private schools. This scheme has already generated Rs. 20 lacs through donations from various individuals and agencies both govt. and pvt.
IAS Manoj Pushp is also putting together a network of volunteers to look after the children as their guardians, including visiting them at least twice a week. Even Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Shivraj Chouhan has also appreciated this move.
On May 31, 2021 more than 170 beneficiaries received their first instalment under the Muskurata Mandsaur Yojana. The state of Madhya Pradesh has already acknowledged 715 cases of children losing both parents, and processed applications of 186. The number of recognized children who lost their parent are around 1,551 (in MP only).
In this context, there is an existing government mechanism for orphaned individuals. The Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS) is one such scheme which provides Rs. 2,000 monthly for children dealing with the loss of a parent or financial stress. Nevertheless, this scheme couldn’t extend more aid as only Rs. 10 lacs are allotted per district annually under it. Thus, it is the need-of-hour to formulate better schemes on such lines to protect such vulnerable sections of our society. As because— “Children are like buds in a garden and should be carefully and lovingly nurtured, as they are the future of the nation and the citizens of tomorrow”.This quote was rightly put forward by our first Prime Minister Shri Jawaharlal Nehru. The author works as a Research Assistant at the Cultural Research Institute, Kolkata under Backward Class Welfare Department, Government of West Bengal.