Visakhapatnam: Pandemic wreaks havoc with people's lives

Visakhapatnam: After her husband's death, S Lakshmi says that her future seems to be bleak. Given her deteriorating health, she says that she has no clue how she is going to keep the home fires burning with two children to take care of.

A resident of P&T Colony, Lakshmi lost her husband to Covid-19 in April. She says that she is least prepared for the bumpy future ahead as there is no support system for her to lean on.

As the second wave of coronavirus plays havoc with many lives, a number of children have lost either a single parent or both.

In Visakhapatnam, 407 children lost a single parent and 18 both the parents during the Covid-19 pandemic from March 2020 to date.

Following the Supreme Court's order, the district administration authorities have uploaded the latest statistics of the children who became orphans due to the pandemic and uploaded the information on the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) called 'Bal Swaraj'.

"A total of 18 children lost both their parents. Of them, 15 were identified as eligible beneficiaries for the ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakh and it will be received through fixed deposit. The FD will continue till 25 years of their age wherein the interest can be availed and later the amount can be withdrawn for their future needs," explains R Shyamala Rani, chairperson of Child Welfare Committee.

As on Saturday, 407 children were identified as semi-orphans. "For the eligible semi-orphans, sponsorship of Rs 500 a month will be provided. The survey is on. Soon, another 100-150 children will be added to the list of those who lost a single parent during the pandemic. The beneficiaries should fall below 18 years of age and BPL families," elaborates Allu Satyanarayana, District Child Protection Officer (DCPO).

With the verification process still on, the DCPO informs that the count of the orphaned children is likely to go up in a couple of days.