COVID 19 pandemic has severely impacted the World including India. Children have also been affected in many ways during the pandemic. Their perils range from loss of routine life, inability to go to School and facing anxiety to loss of loved ones to COVID19. Many children are reported to have lost both parents to COVID 19.

Honourable Prime Minister of India has announced comprehensive support for children who have lost both their parents to COVID 19. The PM CARES for children scheme has been launched to ensure rehabilitation of these children through convergent approach, gap funding for ensuring education, monthly stipend at the age of 18 years and lump sum amount of Rs. 10 lakh on turning 23 years of age, inter alia.

Keeping in mind the need for having a dedicated fund with the primary objective of dealing with any kind of emergency or distress situation, like posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and to provide relief to the affected, a public charitable trust under the name of ‘Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM CARES Fund)’ has been set up. PM CARES Fund has been registered as a Public Charitable Trust. The Trust deed of PM CARES Fund has been registered under the Registration Act, 1908 at New Delhi on 27th March, 2020.

Ministry of Women and Child Welfare is the nodal Ministry for looking after the welfare of Children in India. The Ministry has been entrusted with the responsibility of anchoring the PM CARES for Children scheme, in collaboration with stakeholder Ministries, States and District Administration.