NEW DELHI: India has at least 8.6 lakh female sex workers including Andhra Pradesh with highest numbers of 1.56 lakh.
61,000 female sex workers are practicing in National capital Delhi while Karnataka and Maharashtra ranked 3rd and 4th in having female sex workers.
According to health ministry report, 19% female sex workers are unregistered.
State AIDS control societies claimed 6.96 lakh registered female sex workers listed on targeted interventions which may increase on new registration.
Ministry claimed that registration from National Aids Control Organization is not necessary for sex workers during intervention programmes so the number of actual sex workers may be much higher than the registered ones by the ministry.