Mumbai, Jun 2 (IANS): In a significant development, the Maharashtra government on Wednesday decided to provide financial assistance to the tune of Rs 500,000 in the name of children who have lost one or both parents due to Covid-19, an official said here.

The state Cabinet presided over by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray resolved to deposit the amount which will take care of the children's expenses till they attain the age of 21.

This financial assistance scheme would be applicable to all children, from newborn infants to up to 18 years of age, who lost one or both parents after March 1, 2020, or any one parent before March 1, 2020 due to Covid-19 or related causes.

The accumulated amount in the bank deposit of the child would be given with interest to him/her after he/she attains adulthood and completes 21 years of age.

A similar scheme has been recently announced through the PM-CARE scheme and the state government initiative will be in addition to the Central initiative.

If there is nobody willing to take over the responsibility for such orphaned kids, the state government will admit them to a children's home along with the amount deposited in their name jointly with the concerned District Women & Children Development officer.

However, if any relatives step forward to care for the orphaned children, then they would also be entitled to a grant from the state government's Child Care Scheme, said Women & Child Development Minister Yashomati Thakur.

She added that a district level task force chaired by the respective collector has been constituted to gather full information about all such kids who have been orphaned due to the Covid contagion in the past 15 months or so.

The government will ensure that a family-type of environment is provided to such orphans to ensure their holistic development and prevent them from being pushed into child labour, human trafficking or other crimes, said Thakur.