New Delhi, Jul 26 (IANS): As people lost their loved ones during the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, the mahila panchayat team of the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) has identified 791 women who lost their spouses to Covid-19.

The DCW team also conducted a social survey of such women and provided the report to the Delhi government. This is based on a similar scheme announced by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Kejriwal recently announced the Chief Minister Covid-19 Family Financial Assistance scheme to provide help to families who lost their family members to Covid-19.

According to DCW information, of the 791 widows identified, 774 women (nearly 97.85 per cent) have children. Nearly 360 such women have 3-5 children while 30 have more than 5 children.

Of the identified widows, 734 women (nearly 92.79 per cent) are aged between 18-60 years while the rest of them were senior citizens. Nearly 191 women are aged between 18-35 years.

Of the 791 women identified, 721 were housewives while the remaining are employed as domestic help, labour work, small business, private and government jobs.

Of the identified women who lost their husband to Covid-19, 28.57 per cent have no source of income while nearly 60 per cent such widows have a monthly income of Rs 15,000 or less.

The social survey revealed that out of the identified widows, 597 women have not received the Covid vaccine yet. It is important to get these women vaccinated for which the DCW has also advised the Central government to direct the district magistrates to get all these women vaccinated at the earliest.

According to DCW, this scheme initiated by the Delhi government will prove to be beneficial in helping all the women who lost their husbands to Covid-19. The survey of these women will be useful in their rehabilitation and also help in the Delhi government's scheme reaching these women.

The DCW is in the process of locating more such widows who have lost their husbands to Covid-19.

DCW Chairperson Swati Maliwal has also sent this survey report to the Ministry of Women & Child Development and the Social Welfare Department.

Maliwal said, "This scheme started by CM Arvind Kejriwal is a good initiative. Many families have lost their loved ones due to the Covid-19 pandemic. We have sent our women panchayat teams to each and every nook and corner and identified 791 such widows who lost their spouse to Covid-19."

"We are also handing over the social survey report of all such widows to the government so that it becomes easy to reach the benefits of this scheme to such women. Vaccination of these women should be on done on a priority basis."