PM Modi to release aid to kids of COVID-19 victims today

Hyderabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Monday, would launch a new programme of support for children who lost their parents to Covid and be their guardian along with the Central government until each of the beneficiaries reached the age of 23, said Union minister for tourism, culture, and north-eastern states, G. Kishan Reddy.

The new programme, a follow-up of Modi’s promise during one of his ‘Mann Ki Baat’ radio talks, will be launched remotely by the Prime Minister with the local event scheduled to be held at the Hyderabad district collectorate. Of the 9,042 applications received from various districts across the country, 4,345 children had been identified by the collectors of those districts as eligible for ‘adoption’ by Modi under Sahay Mitra, from PM CARES for Children, Kishan Reddy said.

Kishan Reddy said as part of the programme, each child would receive Rs 10 lakh at the age of 23, and the children to be taken under his wing by the Prime Minister under the programme, would not be excluded from other benefits under schemes managed by other ministries such as Rs 50,000 financial assistance for pursuing education in a technical field, and so on. If the students want to study in private schools or go abroad for higher education, PM CARES will provide for their tuition needs.

The Union MINISTER said all children who would be under the umbrella of the new programme, would be eligible for admission into Kendriya Vidyalayas, Navodaya Schools, and Sainik schools. When they reached the stage for higher education, they would be provided seats in colleges and would not be denied admission. Kishan Reddy said all the beneficiaries would have access to a special online portal designed to cater to their needs, and only the children can log in, in addition to the respective district collectors and any grievance lodged by the beneficiaries would be addressed within 24 hours.