Congress President Sonia Gandhi has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to provide free education to children orphaned due to Covid-19 pandemic. In a letter to the Prime Minister, she said that it is up to nation to assure them hope for future after suffering this robust tragedy.
“I am writing to request you to consider providing free education at the Navodaya Vidyalayas to children who have lost either both parents or an earning parent on account of the COVID-19 pandemic. I feel that as a nation, we owe it to them to give them hope for a robust future after the unimaginable tragedy that has befallen them,” Gandhi told the Prime Minister.
She also reminisced how the creation of Navodaya Vidyalayas across the country was her husband and late former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s one of the most significant legacies.
“As you are aware, one of my husband Rajiv Gandhi’s most significant legacies is the network of Navodaya Vidyalayas. It was his dream to make high-quality modern education accessible and affordable to talented youth, predominantly from rural areas. There are now, as you know, 661 such schools across the country,” Mrs Gandhi said.
The congress chief added that as India battles the second Covid-19 wave, number of children across the country have either lost both or earing parents and have no one to look after them.
Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also tweeted her letter and wrote, “Children are amongst the worst hit by Covid trauma, many having lost their parents to the dreadful situation. Congress President makes an important suggestion to safeguard their future & provide them free education at NVs. It’s high time GOI listened!”
Mrs Gandhi’s letter comes days after Congress leader G S Bali announced the party will adopt all the children orphaned by the pandemic in the Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra district.