Telangana: Children can be eligible for smart cards, who have become orphans due to COVID-19

GG News Bureau
Telangana, 9th Jan. Children who have been orphaned as a result of COVID-19 may be eligible for smart cards.

The Telangana government convened a sub-committee meeting on Saturday to draught a proposal to issue smart identity cards to children orphaned as a result of COVID 19.
Orphans would be classified as “Children of the State” under the proposal, and those who have the card will be exempt from income, caste, and other certificates. During a meeting in Hyderabad, the committee led by Telangana Scheduled Tribe, Women and Child Welfare Minister Satyavathi Rathod discussed this proposal.

Children in primary school, from KG to PG, could be placed in a special integrated campus to receive a quality education comparable to that received by students in Gurukuls. Several orphanages will be affected.
A statewide campaign will be launched to protect children from being trafficked into begging. The Preventive Detention (PD) Act will be used to prosecute those who force children to commit such acts.

The subcommittee decided to enact strict rules to ensure that repeat offenders do not commit the same crime. For their own safety, the rescued children should be admitted to the state home.

It is necessary to raise awareness in order to encourage those who are interested in providing financial assistance to orphans, as well as to allow donors to receive income tax exemption. Officials must recognise those who volunteer to assist orphans as part of their corporate social responsibility efforts.