“The entire educational expenses of such orphans studying in both schools and colleges and those who want to pursue medical, engineering, and other courses will be taken care of by the state government. For higher education, there is the ‘Green Passage’ scheme implemented by the Odisha government. However, in the case of Covid-19 orphans, the scheme will be implemented to cover their education costs at all levels. If the orphaned kid is studying at any private institution, the government will bear the costs as well,” said Deo.
So far 35 children in Odisha have lost both their parents due to Covid-19. On Monday, a 14-month-old boy in Nalco township of Angul district joined the list of orphans after losing his parents and grandmother to Covid-19 in quick succession.
Officials said the Green Passage scheme was earlier implemented to provide higher education free of cost to orphans in Odisha. However, now the entire expenses of education of Covid-19 orphaned children will be available through the scheme.
The ‘Green Passage’ scheme covers the costs of admission, tuition, and examination fees of children who want to pursue higher studies in the field of engineering, medicine and technology. However, for Covid-19 orphans, the ambit of the scheme has been increased.
At present, orphaned children are getting a pension of ₹2,000 per month. The same structure will be followed for Covid-19 orphaned children.
State social security and empowerment of persons with disability minister Ashok Panda said children who have lost both parents due to Covid-19 will be included in the ‘Madhu Babu Pension’ scheme in which ₹300 is given. The beneficiaries will be given an advance pension for June, July, and August.
Courtesy – Hindustan Times
