Covid-19 might push 120 mn children into poverty in South Asia: UNICEF

UNICEF India Representative said there is a need to get core essential services going as soon as possible

An estimated 120 million children living in South Asian countries, including India, could slip into poverty within the next six months due to the Covid-19 crisis, taking the total number of such kids in the region to 360 million, according to a new UNICEF report.

The report -- Lives Upended - How Covid-19 threatens the futures of 600 million South Asian Children -- covers eight South Asian countries namely Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, the Maldives and Sri Lanka. It says that an estimated 240 million children already live in "multi-dimensional" poverty -- including factors such as poor health,