New Delhi: The Indian Government today claimed that an article published in the reputed Lancet journal was a “sophisticated trickery intended to create panic among citizens, divorced from truth and ground reality”.
The Union Ministry of Women and Child Development stated that the Lancet article dated February 24, 2022 giving estimates of children affected by Covid-19 associated orphanhood was “very surprising and contrary to field data in this regard”.
Lancet reported that more than 19 lakh children lost their primary caregivers due to COVID-19 in India. “There is no doubt that the researchers have used sophisticated methodology to estimate the numbers about children, who have lost their primary caregivers, but these findings have no correlation with ground reality in India as reflected from field findings,” the Ministry stated. It claimed that as per field data coming from the States/Union Territories and being compiled as per the directions and monitoring of the Supreme Court of India, “the numbers for India are about 1.53 lakhs”.
The Ministry pointed out that the Supreme Court of India had directed all the States/UTs to identify each and every child who had lost one or more of their parents or have been abandoned during COVID-19 due to any reason (Covid or otherwise) during the pandemic period. The loss of parent could have been due to Covid, natural, unnatural, or from any other cause during the period of pandemic. National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) furtherance to its function as a monitoring authority under section 109 of the Juvenile Justice Act, was asked to set up a portal called “Bal Swaraj” where this data had to be uploaded.
“Accordingly, NCPCR has been continuously tracking all the children who have lost their parents (either one or both) due to any reason and children who have been abandoned since 1st April, 2020. The data/information of each child is captured, verified and examined so as to extend proper care, protection and benefits to all such children. So far, 1,53,827 children have been registered on the portal including 1,42,949 children with single parent, 492 abandoned children and 10,386 children who have lost both their parents,” the Ministry stated, and also released a State/UT wise breakup of these figures as on February 15, 2022.
The Ministry claimed the PM CARES for children scheme has been providing support to these children through convergent approach, gap funding for ensuring education, health, monthly stipend from the age of 18 years, and lump sum amount of Rs. 10 lakhs on attaining 23 years of age. “So far, 4196 children have been identified and approved for obtaining the benefits of PM Cares for Children Scheme,” it claimed.
– global bihari bureau
