The Chhattisgarh government will pay for the education of children who have lost their parents to coronavirus, announced the Chief Minister's Office on Thursday. Titled Chhattisgarh Mahtari Dular Scheme, it will be implemented from this financial year.
Additionally, a scholarship of Rs 500 per month will be given to such orphaned children in Classes 1-8 and Rs 1,000 per month for those in Classes 9-12. These children will be eligible for this scholarship while studying in any government or private school.
The education of those children where the main earning member of the family was lost to Covid will also be arranged by the state government. It has also been decided that if such students apply for admission to Swami Atmanand English Medium Schools, set up by the state, they will be given priority admission and no fee will be charged from them.
"The Chhattisgarh government is providing all kinds of support to the needy. This sensitive initiative of the Chief Minister is to promote better future of destitute children," read a tweet from the Chief Minister's Office.
In another decision, the state government said it had cancelled tenders for the construction of the new assembly building and also stopped work on major projects in the state and said "our citizens-our priority".
Chhattisgarh currently has 1.22 lakh active COVID-19 cases and has reported 11,094 deaths, according to the union health ministry.
In neighbouring Madhya Pradesh, a BJP-ruled state, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan also announced today that his government will provide free education and a pension of Rs 5,000 per month to children whose parents died of COVID-19.
On Wednesday, Madhya Pradesh registered 8,970 new Covid cases and 84 fatalities, taking the tally of infections to 7,00,202 and the death count to 6,679, as per the state Health Department.
CGBSE: Chhattisgarh Board Announces Results For Class 10 Supplementary Exams New XEC Covid Variant Spreads To 27 Countries, Here's What We Know So Far Study Shows How Long Covid Is Debilitating Children's Health In Big Step Towards One Nation, One Election, Cabinet Clears Plan Explained: How Pagers Turned Bombs And Why Israel Is Being Blamed New XEC Covid Variant Spreads To 27 Countries, Here's What We Know So Far Ukrainian Strike Triggers Earthquake-Sized Blast At Russian Arsenal: Report Not Practical: 15 Opposition Parties Rubbish "One Nation, One Election" Plan Veterinarian Warns Against Owning These 5 Dog Breeds Due To Health Concerns Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.