The Maharashtra government on Wednesday announced that fixed deposits of Rs five lakh will be made in the name of orphaned children who have lost at least one parent to Covid-19. They will also get a monthly allowance of Rs 1,125.

At present there are 162 children in the state who have lost both parents or at least one of them to the pandemic. Nine such kids are in government institutions as they have no relatives to take care of them, officials said.