The Maharashtra government has launched a specific effort to provide a variety of assistance to women who have lost their husbands due to COVID.
According to insiders, a new programme called 'Mission Vatsalya' has been established for widows, particularly those from rural areas who come from impoverished families and deprived parts.
Women and Child Development (WCD) Minister Yashomati Thakur siad "Due to the death of the sole breadwinner in their families, their hardship is increased. Considering these all aspects, a bunch of 18 benefits, schemes, and services will be provided to these widows under one roof."
“Efforts are being made by the WCD Department to provide 18 different services to help such women including making various certificates available. This includes several schemes like the Sanjay Gandhi Niradhar Yojana, Gharkul Yojana for these women," Thakur also said.
In the last 18 months, COVID-19 has claimed the lives of 15,095 women. The District Task Force has a total of 14,661 women on its list.
Staff from the WCD Department, child development project officers, local unit officials, and Anganwadi workers visit these women's homes and provide these services. About 10,500 women have been contacted by the department.
"So far 10,349 applications have been received from the women contacted by the WCD department for making them available the benefits under various schemes," Thakur added.
Meanwhile, the state reported 4,355 new coronavirus cases and 119 new fatalities on Tuesday, bringing the total number of infections to 64,32,649 and the death toll to 1,36,355, according to a state health department official.
In the same time period, 4,240 patients were discharged from hospitals across the state, bringing the total number of recovered cases to 62,43,034. The total number of active cases was 49,752 as of Tuesday.
