As man as 11 children from Dakshina Kannada and three from Udupi district, who lost their parents to COVID-19, have qualified for assistance under PM Cares for Children Scheme. Of the 11 beneficiaries from Dakshina Kannada, there are four pairs of siblings. Two beneficiaries have attained 18 and one is aged 17. The 14 children will virtually take part in the function chaired by the Prime Minister at 11 a.m. on Monday, wherein they will receive a kit comprising Ayushman Bharat Arogya Karnataka (ABArK) health card, India Post account passbook, letter from the Prime Minister and PM Cares Certificate.

Under the PM Cares for Children Scheme, a joint account of each child with the respective Deputy Commissioner has been opened in the post office and amount ranging between ₹2.87 lakh and ₹9.29 lakh as per the age of the beneficiary was deposited in April. On attaining the age of 18, the account comprising a total of ₹10 lakh becomes the personal monthly income scheme account of the beneficiary and every month, interest accrued on ₹10 lakh gets transferred to the beneficiary’s savings bank account till he is aged 23. It is at this age that the beneficiary can make use of the ₹10 lakh.

This apart, the beneficiary under the scheme has been getting a monthly stipend of ₹2,500 since March 2022. Each family of the beneficiary has been paid relief of ₹50,000 as per the direction of the Supreme Court. With ABArK health card, the beneficiary gets coverage of ₹5 lakh. The State Government, through its Bala Seva Yojana, has been paying a monthly stipend of ₹3,500 since June 2021 to the beneficiaries.