: PM CARES for Children Guidelines

Name of the Scheme: PM CARES for Children

Vision:

Hon'ble Prime Minister of India on 29.05.2021 has announced comprehensive

support for children who have lost both their parents due to COVID 19 pandemic.

Objective:

To ensure comprehensive care and protection of children who have lost their

parent(s) to 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

PM CARES for children scheme inter alia provides support to these children

through convergent approach, gap funding for ensuring education, health,

monthly stipend from the age of 18 years, and lump sum amount of Rs. 10

lakh on attaining 23 years of age.

Period:

The eligible children shall be enrolled from 29.05.2021 (date of announcement of

Hon ble PM) to 31.12.2021 to avail benefits of PM CARES for Children Scheme.

The Scheme is expected to continue till the year when every identified

beneficiary' shall turn 23 years of age.

Eligibility:

All children who have lost

) Both parents or

i) Surviving parent or

ii) legal guardian/adoptive parents/single adoptive parent

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, shall be

entitled to benefits under this scheme.

iv) Child should not have completed 18 years of age on the date of death of

parents

Entitlements:

Support for Boarding and Lodging

a) Efforts ill be made by the District Magistrate with the assistance of Child

Welfare Committee (CWC) to explore the possibility of rehabilitating the

child within her/his extended family, relatives, kith, or kin.

b) If the extended family, relatives, kith or kin 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.

c) 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