Four-year-old Hiraj looks at her mother Sushma, before picking up the packet of chips offered to her, and her eyes light up when her mother approves. Hiraj was born 15 days after the death of her father due to Covid-19 in 2021, and will never know him, except through a photograph, and the memories of her mother and older sister Gursimran.
“I was pregnant and gave her birth 15 days after the death of my husband, who was handicapped and worked in a boutique at Palsora. He was the only earning member of the family. My older daughter was only 10 at that time. Our world stopped when he passed away. It was due to the financial and educational support of the Department of Social Welfare and their wonderful people. My daughters were safe and secure,” recalls 35-year-old Sushma, who is now looking for a job, and little Hiraj will soon be joining school, with the help of the department.
Like Hiraj, the Covid-19 pandemic caused numerous fatalities, which left many children unsafe and vulnerable, especially the children who lost their parent (s) due to Covid. Five years hence, many are picking up the pieces and moving forward to rebuild their lives with the support of their loved ones and the PARVARISH Scheme, formulated in 2020 by the Department of Social Welfare, Chandigarh Administration. The intent of the scheme, says Bisman Ahuja, programme manager, Department of Social Welfare, Women and Child Development, was to ensure the holistic development of children affected and infected due to the Covid pandemic. The scheme benefited 306 children — 12 Covid- orphaned children, 178 children who lost either parent due to Covid, and 126 Covid-positive children — with monthly financial assistance to enable them to continue their studies and meet their nutritional needs during recovery from Covid-19.
The PARVARISH scheme supported all the grief-stricken families with monthly financial assistance of Rs 5,000 per child, free education in government schools up to Class 12. Also, annual financial support to children enrolled in private schools, as part of which 70 children enrolled in private schools have been provided with substantial annual support in payment of their school fees. As many as 23 children have been supported with financial assistance of Rs 25,000 to Rs 1 lakh for diploma courses and higher education, along with a monthly financial support of Rs 2,500 to Covid-19 positive children for three months and psychological support as well.
As of March 23, 2025, funds of approximately Rs 4.56 crore have been released for extending financial assistance to the beneficiaries and wide publicity of the scheme. In other efforts, a case of an amount of Rs 32,88,000 has been waived off by the bank of ICICI in case of gold loan standing against the parents of Covid orphan children by the efforts of the Chandigarh Administration.
Ahuja says that 25 children below the age of 10 years were enrolled then, and all are pursuing education in different schools. “We had made special emphasis to ensure that all children shall continue their studies in respective schools, be it private or government,” she adds.
Mohmmad Irshad, Child Protection Officer, who has been in close contact with the children and various families since 2020, recalls that it was a time that was replete with loss, tension and psychological burdens. “We took data from the Health Department and began searching for families and children to provide emotional, financial and logistic support. We began getting in touch with first families of these children, so that they are not alone, and began giving grief counselling and emotional support to the children apart from dry ration, education and financial support,” says Irshad.
Story continues below this ad
Sanjana, now 20, lost both her parents during Covid, and for her and her three siblings, two sisters and one brother, their world had come to an end in just a day. This was the first family that was supported by the department, with the oldest, Anjali, taking care of the home and her siblings, dropping her education and now married a few weeks ago. “I decided to study up to Class 9 and am now doing a course to be a beautician, while my sister Sanjini is studying and learning how to stitch. My brother Rajan was only six years old and is now studying at a government school in Class 9. We could not have survived without the support of the department, and though things will never be the same without our parents, we support each other and want to stand on our feet. We know that our parents are blessing us, with our grandfather being our pillar,” says Sanjana, her eyes filling up with tears.
Sonam and Sofya Khan, 20 and 19 years respectively, lost both their parents to Covid in 2021 in a day’s gap. “We were in classes 9 and 8, and our youngest brother was only in Class 6. Our father was into the utensils business. We did not know what to do, and we were left with nothing. Our uncle, father’s younger brother, stepped in to take care of us, and after finishing school, we will be doing a course, maybe in tailoring or beauty. We were able to go on, and study as we were supported by the department, with ration, education taken care of. The loss can never be filled, our brother is in Class 10 now. All we can do is be there with each other and build a life that our parents will be proud of,” says Sonam, a resident of Sector 26. The family also had a gold loan, which was waived off by the administration.
Akash, 20, a BA student, lost his father to cancer in 2010 and his mother, the only earning member, to Covid in 2021. “I was 16 and my brother was a year older. We decided to stay alone together at our home in Sector 47, as we had support of the scheme, and my brother who always wanted to be in the Armed Forces, studied and trained hard. Under the Agniveer scheme, he has been selected by the Air Force. It is a proud moment, and I wish our parents were here to see this. I hope to do a diploma in gaming after my graduation. These years have taught us so much about life, people, and our strengths and weaknesses,” says Akash.
Ahuja says the scheme is extended to age 21, and with the support of schools and the Department of Education, many children continued their education in the same school, so that they were not displaced, with individuals also supporting many children during Covid. “A young mother died due to Covid while giving birth to twin girls. The sisters were adopted by a family in Bangalore, with the approval of the father. The girls are doing very well, and it makes us so happy when we see these children progressing in life, though the vacuum of the loss can never be filled,” adds Ahuja.
Story continues below this ad
“It is such an honour to know that the Administration’s efforts have borne fruit. A small smile on a child’s face, a step towards a brighter future is always a blessing,” says Anuradha S Chagti, Secretary, Social Welfare and Women and Child Development.
7 min read
