Synopsis
In Odisha, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi announced that over 20,000 missing person cases have been registered since June 2024. The police have successfully traced around 7,000 individuals, while more than 13,000 remain unaccounted for. The government is working on initiatives to improve reporting and reintegration efforts.Key Takeaways
- 20,060 missing person cases registered in Odisha.
- 7,048 individuals have been traced successfully.
- 13,012 people remain unaccounted for.
- Social stigma and ignorance hinder timely reporting.
- Integration of Facial Recognition software proposed for better identification.
Bhubaneswar, March 17 (NationPress) A total of 20,060 cases concerning missing individuals have been recorded at various police stations in Odisha over the past nine months. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi disclosed this information while responding to an inquiry from Congress MLA Sofia Firdous during the assembly session on Monday.
Majhi additionally mentioned that law enforcement managed to locate 7,048 missing persons out of the 20,060 reported cases in the state from June 1, 2024, to February 28, 2025.
As a result, 13,012 individuals who went missing during this timeframe remain unaccounted for by the police.
Furthermore, Majhi pointed out that delays in reporting by relatives, often due to social stigma, ignorance, and other factors, contribute significantly to the challenges in locating missing persons.
“Some individuals leave the state for employment without notifying their families, leading to reports of them as missing. There are also cases involving minor girls who elope with boys/men and evade police attention due to fear of legal repercussions against their companions,” CM Majhi explained.
The CM noted that in numerous instances, the informants and relatives of the missing persons hesitate to share the complete truth with law enforcement initially, due to various reasons.
Many cases continue to remain unresolved because when missing children are found in other districts or states, they often do not disclose their true identities, such as their parents’ names, village names, and other details, to the police.
The Mission Vatsalya portal, initiated by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, aims to integrate multiple stakeholders, including law enforcement and child welfare organizations, to ensure the reintegration of missing and recovered children with their families by uploading relevant details to the portal.
“However, information regarding children placed in Child Care Institutions nationwide is not being uploaded by CWCs, CCIs, etc., making it difficult to connect these children with missing cases from various police stations in Odisha,” added CM Majhi.
He proposed the incorporation of Facial Recognition software into the Mission Vatsalya Portal to help identify these children and facilitate their reintegration with parents.
To tackle these obstacles, the state government is focusing on filling vacancies in IAHTU, SJPU, and police stations.
The government has earmarked Rs 3.24 crore for Special Juvenile Police Units (SJPUs) across all districts and Rs 2.61 crore for IUCAWs in 29 districts for vehicle procurement and drivers for transporting rescued children back to their families.
CM Majhi also mentioned that his administration has decided to allocate funds to the Mahila and Sishu Desks of all 649 police stations to cover costs related to food and other expenses for rescuing missing women and children.
The government has projected Rs 19.47 crore to provide Rs 25,000 per Mahila and Sishu Desk of each police station monthly.
