Govt’s COVID relief for kids aids 14,000 and counting in TN

CHENNAI: Lending a hand to secure the future of children who lost one or both parents to COVID-19, the State government has released monetary aid to 14,068 children till April, and is in the process of reviewing 1,562 proposals.

According to officials, of the children who have been given the funds in 74 phases since the government took the decision, 13,682 lost one parent while the remaining 386 were orphaned by the pandemic that engulfed the world since early 2020.

The proposals under consideration include 17 children who lost both parents and 1,545 who lost one parent. In May 2021, as the second wave of the pandemic snatched away hundreds of lives, Chief Minister MK Stalin announced money aid to the children who lost their parents. Those who lost both parents would be given Rs 5 lakh, while the kids who lost one parent were to be granted Rs 3 lakh.

The amount, with interest, was to be credited to the bank accounts to which the child would have access after turning 18 years. Besides this, the State government also announced that it would foot the education and living expenses of these children.

They would also be eligible for all government welfare schemes, Stalin had announced. Subsequently, the government set up Tamil Nadu State Child Protection Society under the Department of Social Defence to prepare the eligibility norms for beneficiaries and to monitor the process. Officials said since June 2021, after the formal government order on monetary aid was issued, funds have been sanctioned in 74 phases after the beneficiaries obtained the necessary approvals from the respective Collectors.

Speaking to DT Next, a senior Social Defence Department official said, “We have been dispensing the amount as soon as we get the GOs for the funds by the government. We have distributed the aid to all children found eligible till April. Besides this, proposals have been sent to the government as per the proposals received between May and August this year.”

This has understandably helped families that were crippled by the raging pandemic. Bakkiyam of Tiruvottiyur, who lost her husband to coronavirus, is one of them. “I run a small-scale catering business from home.

After my husband’s death, it became a struggle to make ends meet with just one person’s income.” Bakkiyam has a daughter and a son. But as only one of them was aged below 18, a key criterion, that child received Rs 3 lakh under the COVID-19 compensation fund.

“As only children aged below 18 are eligible, I received the amount in one of my children’s names. This money is a silver lining for families facing huge financial burden,” added Bakkiyam.