PM CARES for Children — Support for COVID Orphans

What is PM CARES for Children?

PM CARES for Children is the Government of India scheme to support children who lost both parents or sole surviving parent due to COVID-19. The scheme provides comprehensive support: education, health insurance, monthly stipend, and a lump-sum corpus on reaching adulthood.

Launched in May 2021 under the PM CARES Fund, it covers children who lost parents between March 11, 2020 and February 28, 2022 (the official COVID-19 pandemic period).

Benefits — Complete Package

Who is Eligible?

• Child must have lost both parents, or the sole surviving parent, to COVID-19 (period: March 11, 2020 – February 28, 2022)
• Child must be below 18 years at the time of parent's death
• Indian citizen
• No income limit

How the ₹10 Lakh Corpus Works

When a child is admitted to the scheme:

1. A fixed deposit of ₹10 lakh (or equivalent FD generating ₹10L by age 23) is created in the child's name
2. Monthly interest from this FD is paid as stipend from age 18 to 23
3. At age 23, the full ₹10 lakh principal is released to the child

How to Apply

1. Go to pmcaresforchildren.in
2. Click "Apply Online" or "New Registration"
3. Submit application with:
   • Child's details (name, DOB, Aadhaar)
   • Parent's death certificate (showing COVID as cause of death or during COVID period)
   • Guardian/caretaker's details
4. Application is reviewed by the District Magistrate (DM) of the child's district
5. DM recommends; Women and Child Development ministry approves
6. Benefits activated after approval

Who Can Apply on Behalf of a Child?

• Guardian (grandparent, uncle, aunt, elder sibling, foster family)
• Child Welfare Committee (CWC) if the child is in institutional care
• The child themselves if above 18 but below the cut-off age

Documents Required

1. Child's Aadhaar card (or birth certificate)
2. Parent's death certificate — with COVID-19 as cause (or dated during the pandemic period)
3. Proof of guardianship — if applied by guardian (domicile/residence proof, relationship proof)
4. Child's bank account details (or guardian's account for younger children)
5. School enrollment certificate (for education benefits)
6. Photographs

Frequently Asked Questions

The death certificate doesn't say "COVID" — can my child still apply?

If the parent died between March 11, 2020 – February 28, 2022 and the death was COVID-related (even if certificate says "respiratory failure" or "pneumonia"), the District Magistrate can verify and certify COVID causation after examining medical records. Apply and let the DM verify.

My child already gets state government benefits for COVID orphans. Can they still get PM CARES for Children?

Yes — state and central benefits can be combined. PM CARES for Children is a central scheme and is separate from state COVID orphan support schemes.

What happens if the child was orphaned before COVID but the last surviving parent died of COVID?

The child is eligible — what matters is that the child lost their last surviving parent due to COVID-19 within the eligible period.

My ward is 20 years old and their parent died of COVID in 2021. Is it too late?

If the child was below 18 on the date of parent's death, they are eligible regardless of current age. Apply immediately — there is no strict deadline advertised, but apply as soon as possible.

Is there a stipend before age 18?

The monthly stipend from FD interest is paid from age 18 to 23. For children below 18, the corpus is in a bank FD accumulating interest until disbursement begins.

Official Links

• Apply: pmcaresforchildren.in
• Ministry of Women and Child Development: wcd.nic.in
• PM CARES Fund: pmcares.gov.in
• Helpline: 1800-11-2345 (WCD ministry)