Government issues Financial Aid for children Under Mid-Day Meal Scheme: According to an official statement issued, Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal has approved a proposal to provide financial assistance to 11.8 Crore students. The financial aid is being provided through the Direct Benefit Transfer of the cooking cost component of the Mid-Day Meal Scheme to all the students eligible as per the special welfare measure.
The central government will be providing additional funds of Rs. 1200 crore to the state governments and Union Territory administrations for this purpose.
The special welfare measure of the Union Government will benefit the children studying in classes 1 to 8 in the 11.20 lakh government and the government-aided schools across the country. This special welfare measure is in addition to the government’s announcement of distribution of free-of-cost food grains – 5 KG per person per month to nearly 80 crore beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana.
The statement further adds that the decision will help safeguard the nutritional levels of children and also aid in protecting their immunity during the challenging times of COVID-19.
State Government Financial Aid
A few of the state governments have announced financial aid and free education to the students who have lost their parents to the COVID-19 pandemic.
State governments including Delhi, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh have announced financial aid for the orphaned students. These students will be receiving monthly stipends until they are adults supporting their education. The students will also be provided with free education as the state governments will bear all the expenses of their education until graduation.
Rs. 2500 will be allotted per month to the students in Delhi until the age of 25, while the state government of Madhya Pradesh has announced a monthly amount of Rs. 5000 along with free education. The Chhattisgarh government has announced a stipend of Rs. 500 per month for the students from class 1 to 8 while Rs. 1000 will be given to students from classes 9 to 12.