645 children orphaned between April and May in India; no such case in Nagaland

Our Reporter
Dimapur, July 22 (EMN): At least 645 children were orphaned in India after they lost their parents to Covid-19 between April 2021 and May 28 this year with Uttar Pradesh reporting highest such cases at 158, followed by Andhra Pradesh (119) and Maharashtra (83), as per information provided by the states and union territories (UTs).

This information was given by the Union Minister of Women and Child Development, Smriti Zubin Irani, in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.

In the Northeast, Assam reported three orphaned children and one each in Manipur and Meghalaya, while no such cases were registered in the remaining states -- Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram, Sikkim, and Tripura.

The Union Ministry of Women and Child Development has asked the states and UTs to take immediate action on care and protection of children adversely impacted by the Covid-19, in accordance with the provisions of the JJ Act 2015 and Rules, while leveraging the facilities funded under the Child Protection Services scheme.

The Ministry also issued advisories and guidelines for encouraging Covid-appropriate behaviour, monitoring of childcare institutions and coping strategies during Covid times for mental health support to children and caregivers.