How this state is extending a helping hand to Covid widows

Guwahati, July 11: Covid has left many of us devastated, many women have become widows in the course of the brutal pandemic. There is no official figure on how many women have been widowed or how many have lost their spouses in the pandemic. But the scary fact is that many around us seem to be losing their loved ones untimely.

In absence of support system, plight of COVID-19 widows has worsened. In a bid to help those women, to lead a normal life, the Assam government has rolled out 'Chief Minister's COVID-19 Widows Support Scheme', to provide one-time financial assistance of Rs 2.5 lakh each to all widows, whose husbands died due to COVID-19. Women whose annual family income is less than Rs 5 lakh.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma handed over cheques to 176 eligible beneficiaries from eight districts at a function here. At least 873 beneficiaries have been identified as of now under this scheme, and all the cheques will be given to them by state ministers in districts by the next week, Sarma said.

"This is not a happy programme for us. When we invite beneficiaries for some government schemes, we always take pride. But for today's event, we are neither proud nor happy," he said.

In Assam, 6,159 coronavirus-positive people have died, including 1,347 due to comorbidities, he said. "Though we have identified 873 widows, we expect that 2,000-2,500 will be there. The enrolment process is going on in districts," the chief minister said.

The Assam government has already launched a scheme to provide Rs 3,500 per month to children, who lost their parents due to COVID-19.

"I have requested the finance minister to provide some funds to give something to other COVID-19 affected families. Assam has done something before other states have taken such initiatives," Sarma said. The state Budget for 2021-22 will be presented on July 16 by Finance Minister Ajanta Neog. The Budget Session of the assembly will begin on Monday.

The beneficiaries of 'Orunodoi' and 'Widow Pension' programmes are also eligible for the one-time financial assistance under the 'Chief Minister's COVID-19 Widows Support Scheme'.

As per the scheme, the beneficiary's husband should be a COVID-19 positive patient at the time of death, and it should be certified by the State-Level COVID Death Audit Board. "A beneficiary must belong to a low-income family having an annual income less than Rs 5 lakh," the scheme details mentioned.

However, widows of government servants will not be covered under this scheme as they will get the family pension as per usual norms.

with PTI inputs