NEW DELHI: As thousands of children lost either both or one of the parents during the Covid pandemic and many are faced with a bleak future, the Supreme Court has passed a slew of directions to provide them a helping hand by asking states and Union territories to ensure that there is no break in their schooling and bear the cost of their education.
Pointing to the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) receiving many complaints regarding illegal adoption of such orphaned children, a bench of Justices L Nageswara Rao and Aniruddha Bose also directed the states and police to take stringent action against individuals and NGOs indulging in such activities.
It also ordered the states to track all such children who are in distress and grant them financial assistance, including payment of Rs 2,000 per month under the Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS).
The court said states needed to get into action with relief and financial assistance as the Centre has not finalised modalities to come to the rescue of such children under the PM Cares fund and sought four weeks’ time to finalise it.
The bench passed the order after accepting the suggestion of advocate Gaurav Agrawal who is assisting the court as amicus curiae.
“If the affected children are studying in government schools, they should be permitted to continue.
In so far as the children who are studying in private schools, the state governments/Union Territories should take steps and direct the continuance of the children in those schools at least for a period of six months by which time some arrangement can be worked out….
The states/UTs should ensure that there is no break in the education of children who have become orphans or lost one parent during the pandemic,” the bench said.