Shimla, Jul 20 (PTI) Himachal Pradesh Social Justice and Empowerment Secretary M Sudha Devi Thursday directed all field officers to conduct a survey to identify orphans in the state and submit a report within 21 days.

She gave the order while reviewing the Mukya Mantri Sukh Aashray Yojna (MMSYA) in a meeting held with all district programme officers and district child protection officers.

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The secretary asked the officers to submit the details of the identified orphans to the concerned Deputy Commissioner.

The bureaucrat also instructed officials to speed up the rendering of benefits promised to orphans under the scheme, such as quality education, mentorship, clothing allowance, festival and marriage, annual educational tours, coaching, higher education, self employment, and start-up assistance.

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The Himachal Pradesh government had launched the Mukya Mantri Sukh Aashray Yojna and constituted a 'Mukhya Mantri Sukh Aashray Kosh' with an aim to educate orphan children and Ekal Naris.

According to the government, so far, 6,000 orphans in Himachal have been named ward of the state.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)