The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has asked all states and union territories (UTs) to upload data of children who have lost either one or both parents to Covid-19 on its portal. Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani had on Tuesday said as many as 577 children across the country were orphaned after their parents succumbed to Covid-19, citing reports of states and union territories from April 1 till March 25.

The announcement by the apex child rights body comes a day after the Supreme Court directed all district officers across the states/UTs to fill data related to children who have lost either one of both parents to Covid-19 within 24 hours on the Bal Swaraj portal under the 'Covid Care' link. Bal Swaraj is an online tracking portal of the NCPCR for children in need of care and protection.