1,331 to get foster care benefits in Hamirpur district

Deputy Commissioner Amarjit Singh, while addressing a meeting of the district-level committee of the foster care scheme here yesterday, said 1,331 children of the district would get foster care and 77 more children would be added as beneficiaries.

He noted that 1,254 children of the district were already included in this scheme.

The DC said, as proposed by the government, these children would get Rs 4,000 each every month till the age of 18.

Apart from orphaned children, the beneficiaries included those whose parents were suffering from serious life-threatening diseases or were unable to raise children due to physical or financial conditions, he added.

Children of widows or single women were also eligible to be included in the foster care scheme, he added.

He said the scheme was started to ensure proper upbringing, care, rehabilitation, protection, treatment, development and education of these children, living with their relatives, as per the various provisions of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015. He advised officers to widely publicise the scheme so that all children suffering from adverse circumstances could take benefit of the scheme.