MP Amar Patnaik writes Union Education Minister to provide seat to orphan kids in KVs whose parents died of Covid

Bhubaneswar: Rajya Sabha MP from Odisha Amar Patnaik on Wednesday wrote to Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal to provide admission to the children orphaned by Covid 19 in the Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs).

The BJD MP in his letter said that children as young as 5-6 years and even younger have been suddenly rendered orphaned and many of them may also have become homeless, penniless and without food, water and clothing.

Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik has already announced a number of support schemes for them including free education, monthly pensions etc., he wrote in the letter.

The Rajya Sabha MP hence urged the Union Education Minister to consider giving free admission beyond any quota whatsoever and beyond any sanctioned number of seats in any Kendriya Vidyalayas in the country, in any class to these orphan children as and when they approach with adequate proof or certificate from responsible District/Block or Panchayat officials about the death of their parents.

“Since the session is about to begin and admissions are still going on, the usual process of Govt first collecting the names from districts and States and then allocating them to various schools may not be a smart move at this point of time as it would be too time-consuming. A much more humane approach could be to allow these children to walk into any KVs of their choice and take admission based on certificates of death of both father and mother due to Covid 19 or post covid complications either during the first wave or during the current wave,” Patnaik said in the letter.

The Rajya Sabha MP also mentioned in the letter, “I have never had such pain while writing any letter as this because of the catastrophic proportions of the human disaster as seen in this wave; I have been numbered.” With this he hoped that the Union Minister would consider the request on humanitarian ground as a Lord Jagannath – ordained responsibility to these unfortunate children.

Also read: Heart-wrenching: 7 year old girl takes care of her new-born brother after death of parents in Odisha’s Balasore: Watch