Govt scheme to help pregnant minor rape victims, Rs 74 cr earmarked
The Union Ministry for Women and Child Development has announced that it will offer assistance to pregnant minor rape victims until they reach the age of 23. This aid will include maternity, neo-natal, and infant care, psychological counselling and legal support, and an insurance cover for both the victim and the newborn, as well as a monthly allowance of Rs 4,000. The scheme is available to minors who have been abandoned, orphaned, or who cannot live with their families due to social stigma. To access the scheme, a copy of the FIR is not required, and it can be accessed at any Child Care Institution in each district. Rs 74 crore has been sanctioned for the scheme, and it will be implemented soon. The aim of the scheme is to provide shelter, food, safe transportation for attending court hearings, and legal aid to minor girls who have become pregnant as a result of rape or any other reason and have no other means of support. The ministry also reported that 51,863 cases were registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act in 2021.
