Children Orphaned Or Abandoned During COVID: Odisha Leads With 26,318 Registrations

New Delhi: The number of children in India who have lost their primary caregivers due to COVID-19 is 1,53,827.

Of them, 1,42,949 children have lost a single parent, 492 have been abandoned and 10,386 lost both their parents. This is as per data released by Ministry of Women and Child Development, and compiled as per directions and monitoring of Supreme Court.

A portal called Bal Swaraj was developed where data from every state and union territory has been uploaded.

This is to facilitate and ensure comprehensive care and protection of affected children and financial support till they reach 23 years of age.

As of February 15, 2022, Odisha has registered 26,318 children – the maximum among all states and UTs — who have lost their parents or guardians during the pandemic due to COVID or any other cause. Out of this number, 24,697 have lost one parent, 1617 have been orphaned and 4 have been abandoned.

The only other state with over 20K registrations is Maharashtra, which has 20,429 children including 718 orphans, 19,707 with a loss of one parent and 4 abandoned children.

Gujarat has 14934, Tamil Nadu 11908 and UP 10317.

Also Read: COVID-Linked Orphanhood: Govt Flays Lancet Report, Says Number Is 1.53 Lakh & Not 19 Lakh