Kerala to provide Rs 3 lakh one-time deposit next week to children orphaned due to COVID

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New Delhi: The Kerala government on Saturday (August 28) announced that a ‘one-time’ financial support of Rs 3 lakh will be provided to minors who lost their parents to COVID-19 next week. 

The state government will also bear the educational expenses of these children till graduation, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said. Taking to Twitter, he said that the state government has sanctioned Rs 3.20 crore for this project. “Children who've lost their parents or guardians due to Covid-19 will get ₹3 lakh as a one-time deposit next week and Rs 2000 every month till they turn 18. The expense of their education till graduation will also be taken care of by GoK. Sanctioned ₹3.20 Cr for the project,” the Kerala CM tweeted. 

Children who've lost their parents or guardians due to Covid-19 will get ₹3 lakh as a one-time deposit next week & ₹2000 every month till they turn 18. The expense of their education till graduation will also be taken care of by GoK. Sanctioned ₹3.20 Cr for the project. — Pinarayi Vijayan (@vijayanpinarayi) August 28, 2021

On Thursday, the Supreme Court had said that the state governments should bear the fee of children who lost either one or both parents to coronavirus for this academic year if private schools are not willing to waive off their fee. 

The apex court noted that these children may not have the means to fend for themselves, “so, it is the state which has to protect them.” The bench was hearing a suo motu matter on contagion of COVID-19 in children protection homes.

Meanwhile, Kerala will reimpose night curfew from Monday (August 30) in view of spike in coronavirus infections. The decision comes as Kerala has been reporting over 30,000 daily coronavirus cases since August 25, highest single-day spike since May this year. The Kerala CM told the reporters on Saturday that out of the 1,67,497 samples tested in the last 24 hours, 31,265 samples tested positive for coronavirus infection.