Ranchi, June 27: Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren said that the government is trying to make those children orphaned during the Covid period to be looked after in the social system near the places of their birth in the village or cities itself by supporting widow or widower willing to look after them.
The chief minister was virtually addressing a program organized under Project Shishu, launched by Jharkhand Legal Services Authority (Jhalsa) for rehabilitation of children orphaned during the Corona period and said that state government and Jhalsa would jointly look after such children who have lost their parents during the pandemic.
The chief minister also said that directive have been issued to appoint female SPOs to combat human trafficking at village level.
Hemant Soren said an action plan should be prepared to end the orphanage system in the state and hand over the responsibility of raising these children to the widow or widower living in that village itself.
“Necessary instructions have been given to the concerned departments in this direction and if such widow or widower agree to look after such children the state government will cover the expenses for the education of the children and also provide monetary help to such persons. We will also provide an incentive amount to the widow or widower. With this, orphaned children will be raised in a social environment and until they are able to stand up, the government will provide the necessary support,” said Soren.
The chief minister asked senior police officers to appoint female SPOs in the state to control human trafficking. With this, the police can get the right information about trafficking in women and girls on time and such cases can be stopped.
Hemant Soren said the state government has also decided to conduct an audit of deaths in the village due to a corona infection. In this context, comprehensive information is collected on children who have become orphans. So far, 605 of these children have been identified in the state, of whom 200 have been supported through Jhalsa and the government, with the government determined to provide assistance to other children as well.
The chief minister said it would be the state government’s effort not to allow the third wave of Covid-19 to reach the state and even if it reaches we are determined that there is no loss of life at least.
During the program, Jharkhand High Court Chief Justice Ravi Ranjan said that special efforts must be done to to ensure that their feelings of such orphaned children are not hurt in any way. He urged officials who provide assistance to orphaned children.