New Delhi :    More than half of PM CARES for Children scheme applications which intended to provide aid to children orphaned by COVID-19 have been rejected.

Launched during the peak of COVID-19 cases in India on May 29, 2021, the PM CARES for Children Scheme aimed to extend support to children who lost their parents, legal guardians, adoptive parents, or surviving parent to the pandemic between March 11, 2020, and May 5, 2023.

Official data from the Ministry of Women and Child Development revealed that out of a total of 9,331 applications received from 613 districts across 33 states and union territories, a staggering 4,781 applications have been rejected. Only 4,532 applications have been approved, while 18 applications are pending approval.

The ministry did not provide specific reasons for the high rejection rate, leaving many applicants and observers bewildered.

Rajasthan, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh recorded the highest number of applications, with Rajasthan topping the list at 1,553 applications, followed closely by Maharashtra with 1,511 applications and Uttar Pradesh with 1,007 applications. However, the approval rates in these states varied significantly: Maharashtra saw 855 applications approved, Rajasthan had 210 approvals, and Uttar Pradesh secured 467 approvals.