Bal Swaraj And Bal Seva Schemes For The Welfare Of Children Orphaned By COVID-19

Want to know what are Bal Seva Scheme and Bal Swaraj Scheme? Swaraj is a central government Scheme while Bal Seva is a Karnataka government initiative to help children orphaned by COVID-19. Read on to know more.

COVID-19 wave in India has left children in over 30,000 families without one or both parents. Many of these children are minors and at high risk for trauma, abuse and trafficking. The central and state governments have announced financial aid and support programs for these children. In addition, the NCPCR has launched an online tracking portal, Bal Swaraj to monitor the well-being of these children.

Read: TiP Sessions NGO – Delivering Food And Medicines For The COVID Affected

Demographics Of Children Affected By COVID-19

According to the latest statistics uploaded on the Bal Swaraj website, 3,621 children have lost both parents while 26,176 children have lost one parent. 274 others have been abandoned.

Most of these children are at home with the remaining parent or a guardian with only a small percentage living in observation homes, shelters and orphanages.

In terms of genders, the division is almost equal.

Gender	Number Of Children Affected
Girl	14,447
Boy	15,620
Transgender	4

In terms of ages, a majority of the children are below the age of 13 years.

Age group	Number of children affected
8-13	11,800
14-18	10,247

About The Bal Swaraj Portal

Website: ncpcr.gov.in/baalswaraj

The Bal Swaraj portal has been designed to keep track of children who have lost one or both parents due to COVID-19 and ensure that they get the care and protection required. This is important especially in light of social media posts that have been amplifying the need to adopt children but not necessarily providing a legal route to do so.

Concerned departments and officers have been provided with the ‘COVID-care’ link to upload data for these children. The portal can then be used to track financial incentives provided to these children or to help them find homes.

Financial Initiatives By Governments To Assist Children

The central government has announced that children who lost their parents because of COVID-19 will receive a monthly stipend until they reach the age of 18 years and a fund of Rs 10 lakhs once they turn 23 years old.

This money will be drawn from the PM-CARES fund. Minor children living with extended family or guardians will be admitted to the nearest Kendriya Vidyalaya or private school and their fees will be paid from the PM-CARES fund. This fund will also take care of expenses such as textbooks, uniforms, etc.

Children who have no one to look after them will be admitted to residential schools like the Navodaya Vidyalaya or Sainik schools.

Children wanting to pursue professional courses for higher education will be assisted in applying for loans as per the current Educational Loan norms. The interest on these loans will be paid by the PM-CARES fund.

Alternatively, scholarships equivalent to these tuition fees will be offered to the children by Central or State Government schemes.

All children will also be enrolled in the Ayushman Bharat Scheme (PM-JAY) and covered by Rs 5 lakh insurance. Until the child reaches the age of 18 years, the premium for these insurance programs will be paid via the PM-CARES fund.

Bal Seva Scheme By Karnataka Government

In addition, state governments have launched their own initiatives. The Karnataka State government launched the Bal Seva scheme under which children will be given Rs 3,500 per month and those below the age of 10 years will get free education in a residential school.

A girl child who has been orphaned or abandoned due to COVID-19 will get Rs 1 lakh as financial assistance.

Who Is Eligible

• A native of Karnataka who is orphaned by COVID-19
• Applicant’s parents who are not government employees

Documents Required To Avail Bal Seva Scheme’s Benefits

The following documents are required to avail the Bal Seva Scheme’s Benefits

• Aadhar Card
• Proof of residence
• Parents’ death certificate
• Education-related documents
• Age certificate
• Relative contact number

Legally Adopting Children Abandoned Or Orphaned Due To COVID-19

In India, when a child is abandoned or orphaned without anyone in the family who can look after them, the government steps in. Shelter homes are considered the last resort and children are adopted by strangers only if no one in the extended family can care for them.

All adoptions are regulated by the Central Adoption Resource Agency. Only parents registered in this agency can adopt children. Adoption is considered legal only if the procedures follow the guidelines laid down by the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015.

Each state has an independent State Adoption Resource Agency with District Level Child Protection Units. When an abandoned child is found the child is placed under the care of district child welfare committees and further into a home or adoption center.

The units check whether the child has been reported as missing and try to reunite the child with his/her family. If a guardian claims the child, a DNA test to conducted to confirm the claim. The child is considered legally free for adoption only if the child has not been claimed by anyone for more than 2 months in the case of children below the age of 2 years and 4 months in the case of children above the age of 2 years.

Direct adoption is illegal and punishable by law. Hence, child welfare committees are waring bereaved people and concerned citizens from responding to social media posts about direct adoptions.

Who Can You Reach Out To?

If you come across an abandoned child you reach out to the CHILDLINE India Foundation by calling the 1098 helpline.

The Karnataka state government has appointed a nodal officer, KP Mohan Raj to look after the children’s immediate and long-term needs. An IAS officer, Uma Mahadevan, the Principal Secretary of the state Panchayat Raj department has also been appointed to coordinate between the government’s efforts and NGOs in the private sector.

Bal Swaraj – Adoption And Care Centers

Here is the list of institutes that are approved by the state and central governments to adopt and care for children. Besides this, at every district level, children’s homes for boys and girls are functional.

Also See

• Round The Clock Helpline For Oxygen And Remdesivir In Karnataka
• Oxygen Suppliers In Karnataka
• List Of COVID Vaccine Hospitals In Karnataka
• COVID Vaccination At Private Companies in Bangalore

Government Schemes

• Kisan Credit Card Scheme – Everything You Should Know About
• Atal Pension Yojana – Pension Scheme For Workers In the Unorganized Sector
• Yuva Yuga Scheme – Everything You Must Know
• How To Apply For A Housing Scheme In Karnataka