1,773 children lost parents to COVID-19 in Odisha

As many as 1,773 children lost their parents in the State to COVID-19 infections since 1 April, 2000, according to a report compiled by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR).

While 163 kids lost both their parents, 1,610 children lost one of their parents since the outbreak of pandemic in Odisha on 1 April, 2000, the report said.

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It may be recalled here that the Odisha Government earlier last month launched a special initiative for children losing parents during the trying pandemic period, The scheme coined as ‘Ashirvad’ entitled the children a sum of Rs 2,500 every month to children, who have lost both parents.

Children who lost both their parents and the main earning member of the family on or after April 1, 2020, are eligible to be covered under the scheme. The government had also announced Rs 1500 per month to those who have lost a single parent to the virus on or after April 1, 2020.