Need More Time To Work Out Modalities For PM CARES Relief For Children Orphaned Due To COVID, Centre Tells Supreme Court

The Central Government on Monday told the Supreme Court that it needs more time to work out the modalities for the scheme of relief under the PM CARES Funds for children orphaned due to COVID-19.

Today, Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati told the Supreme Court that extensive consultation is taking place between states and stakeholders on the relief scheme for orphan children.

"We will take some more time to work out the modalities", ASG Bhati submitted.

The ASG also informed the bench that District Magistrates have been made responsible for children orphaned and abandoned and Nodal officers have been appointed.

The bench comprising Justices L Nageswara Rao and Aniruddha Bose said that it will grant time to Centre and will post the matter after the summer vacations.

"We'll give more time to Centre to figure out modalities on the scheme and come back with how they will implement it. We will deal with after vacation", Justice Rao said.

The bench was considering the suo moto case In Re Contagion of COVID Virus In Children Protection Homes, which was initiated last year during the first wave of the pandemic.

Few weeks back, the Supreme Court reopened the proceedings to consider the issue of children orphaned due to COVID.

On May 28th, the bench had directed all the district authorities to upload the information of children who have become orphans after March 2020 on portal of NCPCR 'Bal Swaraj' and also directed to take steps to attend to basic needs of children who become.

The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights(NCPCR) has informed the Supreme Court that the COVID-19 pandemic has orphaned 1742 children, and 7464 children lost at least one parent during the pandemic, as per the data available on May 29.