Tuesday, 03 August 2021 | PNS | Dehradun
Sum of Rs 3,000 every month to be given to the beneficiary children till they turn 21
In a major initiative to provide relief to the families adversely affected by pandemic of Covid-19, Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami launched Mukhyamantri Vatsalya Yojana (MVY) for the children who have lost their parents during the pandemic period. Under the scheme which the Uttarakhand government claims to be the first of its kind in the country, a sum of Rs 3000 would be provided to every month till the selected child attains age of 21 years. A total of 2347 children have been selected for the scheme and in the first phase 1062 children have received the benefit. Speaking on the occasion, CM said that it is very difficult to compensate the loss of parents but the state government would act like a guardian of such children. “We want to replace the tears of these children with smiles. I am sure that these children would become leaders in the fields of their choice,’ he said.
The CM said that apart from a sum of Rs 3000 per month these children would also get free food grains and free education and the district magistrates concerned would ensure protection of their properties.
He said that the Uttarakhand government is committed for uplift of those standing on the last step of the social ladder. Dhami claimed that 85 per cent of the announcements made by the BJP government have been fulfilled in the last four and half years. He said that the state government has recently declared a package of Rs 200 crore for the people associated with tourism industry and Rs 205 crore for the benefit of health workers. Dhami informed that the process to fill vacant posts in government sector has started and a plan for generating self employment opportunities is on anvil.
The women and child development minister Rekha Arya said that MVY reflects the humane face of the government and claimed that Uttarakhand is the only state in the country which has come out with such a holistic scheme for the children who have lost their parents during the pandemic. She said that the scheme would make the children mentally, socially and economically strong.
The Cabinet minister Ganesh Joshi also addressed the audience. Former CM Trivendra Singh Rawat, assembly speaker Prem Chand Agarwal, MLAs Munna Singh Chauhan, Sahdev Pundir, Ram Singh Kaida, Diwan Singh Bisht and others attended the programme virtually.
