Tamil Nadu: Parents seeking government aid up five fold

CHENNAI: Applications for the state government’s sponsorship scheme has seen a nearly five-fold increase since the pandemic, which has robbed several families of income, set in last year.
Around 5,000 families in Tamil Nadu have sought government assistance in 2020-21 to help educate and take care of their children’s development. The year before (2019-20), nearly 1,500 applied and 1,229 children benefited.
The department of social defence, which annually identifies about 42 children in every district to place them under foster care, adoption, and sponsorships, in 2020-21 was flooded with requests from families seeking sponsorships after Covid-19 left many without jobs and money.
A task force in every district is identifying children in need. Officials said they are taking note of all requests but giving preference to those in abject poverty. They are using civil society groups to identify such children. Under the scheme, every child gets Rs 2,000 a month for three years.
The state education department will conduct a door-to-door survey to find out the number of those who have dropped out or are likely to and ensure they continue schooling.
A 2018 study by the ministry of women and child development found more than 87,000 children reside in 1,600 shelters across Tamil Nadu, most of them admitted by single parents. “Strengthening families must be given top priority and authorities must tap into available resources to help,” said Chella Selvakumar, a former member of the Tamil Nadu State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (TNSCPCR).
Citing a 2020 rapid survey by Campaign Against Child Labour, which found child labour among vulnerable communities in Tamil Nadu and Karaikal had increased by nearly 280%, he said the issue had to be addressed at the grassroots level. “If not, we’ll see more vulnerable children out of school and with no secure future.”
N Ramachandran, chairperson of the Kancheepuram child welfare committee, said many educational institutions were willing to educate for free children needing sponsorship. “They have asked us for a list of children they can sponsor.”