Sonia Gandhi writes to PM Narendra Modi, seeks free education for kids orphaned by COVID

Congress chief Sonia Gandhi in her letter to PM Narendra Modi, also recalled how the creation of Navodaya Vidyalayas across the country was her husband and former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's most significant legacies.

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New Delhi: Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi on Thursday (May 20) wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting him to provide free education at Navodaya Vidyalayas to children who have lost either parents or an earning parent to COVID-19. 

"Amidst the devastation caused by the pandemic and the heart-wrenching tragedies being faced by affected families, news of young children losing one or both parents to COVID-19 are the most poignant. These children are left with the trauma of loss and no support towards a stable education or future," the letter said.

The Congress chief also recalled how creation of Navodaya Vidyalayas across the country was her husband and former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's most significant legacies. "As you are aware, one of my husband Rajiv Gandhi's most significant legacies is the network of Navodaya Vidyalayas. It was his dream to make high-quality modem education accessible and affordable to talented youth, predominantly from rural areas. There are now, as you know, 661 such schools across the country," it further said.

Gandhi said there are currently around 661 such schools across the country.

"I am writing to request you to consider providing free education at the Navodaya Vidhyalayas to children who have lost either both parents or an earning parent on account of the COVID-19 pandemic. I feel that as a nation, we owe it to them to give them hope for a robust future after the unimaginable tragedy that has befallen them," the Congress leader wrote. 

There have been reports of children losing either an earning parent or both parents during the pandemic that has so far claimed over 2 lakh lives in the country.