The Jharkhand government has come forward to ensure proper care for the children who lost their parents to Covid-19 pandemic.

Chief minister Hemant Soren had on Thursday directed all the deputy commissioners to ensure proper care for the children who have lost their parents during Covid pandemic and also take steps so that they do not face exploitation or get trapped in child trafficking which is rampant in rural parts of the state.

A source in the chief minister’s office (CMO) said that the government has announced financial assistance to the caretakers of such orphaned children and also launched a helpline for rehabilitation of such children.

“In case other members of the family of the children, who have lost their parents, agree to take care of the orphaned child, they will be given monthly sponsorship assistance by the government. The amount would be finalised soon. However, members of the child welfare committee will visit the respective household and do a ground survey to ensure that the child is in safe hands. In case of no caretakers, those children will be taken to the state-owned children care home,” the statement from the CMO said.

Bhola Prasad

The government also issued child care helpline numbers.

“Apart from the central child helpline number 1098, the government has also issued helpline numbers 181, WhatsApp number 8789833434 and mobile number 9955588871 and 8789370474. These numbers will be monitored by the concerned district welfare officer,” the CMO statement further added.

The chief minister has appealed to the people not to release the details of such children in the public domain and directly report to the helpline. This will help the administration immediately approach such children and avoid exploitation, child labour or trafficking.

Meanwhile, chief minister has also directed principal secretary social welfare department Avinash Kumar to start a survey of such families affected by the pandemic.

“Those families whose single earner has died due to Covid-19 will be surveyed and the government will take steps to link them to social security schemes,” added the source in CMO.

Meanwhile, Soren launched the third phase of Covid vaccination for 1.57 crore people in the state aged between 18 and 44 years of age free of cost on Friday at Ranchi.

According to data shared by the state health department on Thursday, a little over 30,000 people among the 1.57 crore eligible beneficiaries for the third phase have registered themselves through the CoWin portal and Arogya Setu application to take their jabs since registration opened on April 28.

Beneficiaries line up for the third phase of the free vaccination campaign at Loyola School in Jamshedpur on Friday Bhola Prasad

Incidentally, the drive was scheduled on May 1 but was postponed as the central government along with manufacturers of Covaxin and Covishield expressed their inability to deliver the doses by that time.

The state has 2.34 lakh doses of the vaccine for the third phase of the inoculation campaign.

The ongoing vaccination driver for people above 45 years will continue and nearly six lakh doses provided by the Centre are still in stock.

The chief minister also launched a PSA (pressure swing adsorption) plant at Sahebganj Sadar Hospital on Friday which will provide oxygen directed to the patient’s bed.

On Thursday, the state added 4,991 positive cases taking the total active Covid cases to 48,468 and the death toll on Thursday was 108 taking the total casualty to 4,290.