The government today issued guidelines for PM Cares For Children Scheme. The objective of the scheme is to ensure comprehensive care and protection of children who have lost their parents due to the COVID pandemic, in a sustained manner, enable their wellbeing through health insurance, empower them through education and equip them for self-sufficient existence with financial support on reaching 23 years of age.

The Ministry of Women and Child Development has issued the detailed guidelines, said sources in the ministry.

The eligible children shall be enrolled from 29 May 2021 — the date of announcement by the Prime Minister — to 31.12.2021 to avail benefits of the PM CARES for Children Scheme.

The eligibility criterion for the scheme will cover all children who have lost both parents or surviving parent or legal guardian, adoptive parents, and single adoptive parents due to COVID 19 pandemic, starting from 11.03.2020 the date on which WHO has declared and characterized COVID-19 as pandemic till 31.12.2021. “Child should not have completed 18 years of age on the date of death of parents,” the ministry said. 

The entitlements under the scheme include:

Efforts will be made by the district magistrate with the assistance of the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) to explore the possibility of rehabilitating the child within her/his extended family or relatives

– If the extended family or relatives of the child are not available/not willing/not found fit by CWC or the child (aged 4 -10 years or above) is not willing to live with them, the child should be placed in foster care, after due diligence as prescribed under the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015 and rules made thereof as amended from time to time.

If the Foster family is not available/not willing /not found fit by CWC, or the child (aged 4 -10 years or above) is not willing to live with them, the child 1Beneficiary/ Beneficiaries means eligible child beneficiaries under the PM CARES for Children scheme. 

– Children more than 10 years old, not received by extended families or relatives or foster families or not willing to live with them or living in child care institutions after the demise of parents, maybe enrolled in Netaji Subhash Chand Bose Awasiya Vidyalaya, Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya, Eklavya Model Schools, Sainik School, Navodaya Vidyalaya, or any other residential school by the District Magistrate, subject to the respective scheme guidelines.

– It may be ensured that the siblings stay together, as far as possible.