20,060 missing person cases reported in Odisha in last nine months, says Mohan Charan Majhi

 The chief minister stressed the need to integrate facial recognition software into the portal, which could help in identifying and reuniting children with their parents

PTI, 17.03.25 : As many as 20,060 missing person cases were registered across Odisha between June 2024 and February 2025, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi informed the Assembly on Monday.

In a written reply to a query by Congress MLA Sofia Firdous, the CM said of the total cases, 7,048 people were traced, while 13,012 remain untraced.

The BJP came to power in the state on June 12, 2024.

Informing the reasons for the delay in resolving the pending cases, Majhi cited several challenges.

He said missing reports are often delayed by relatives due to social stigma, ignorance or other reasons.

Many people leave the state for work without informing their families, leading to false missing reports, he added.

"A significant number of cases involve minor girls eloping, where they evade police notice due to fear of criminal prosecution against their partners. In several cases, families and informants hesitate to disclose complete information to police leading to delays in investigations," he added.

The CM said while the Ministry of Women and Child Development had launched the Mission Vatsalya portal to track and reunite missing children with their families, its effectiveness is hindered by the failure of Child Welfare Committees (CWCs) and Child Care Institutions (CCIs) to upload relevant data.

The chief minister stressed the need to integrate facial recognition software into the portal, which could help in identifying and reuniting children with their parents.

He added that steps were being taken to fill vacancies in the Integrated Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (IAHTU), Special Juvenile Police Unit (SJPU), and police stations to improve response times in missing person cases.

The CM said the government has also proposed financial allocations to enhance rescue operations.

"A total of Rs 3.24 crore has been set aside to strengthen SJPUs by hiring vehicles with drivers for transporting rescued children back to their families. Additionally, Rs 2.61 crore has been allocated for Investigative Units on Crimes Against Women (IUCAW) in 29 districts for similar purposes," he said.

The government has proposed providing funds to mahila (women) and sishu (children) desks of all 649 police stations to cover food and other expenses related to the rescue of the missing women and children.

He added that the government has proposed Rs 19.47 crore for mahila (women) and sishu (children) desks in all 649 police stations.

"Each desk will receive Rs 25,000 per month to cover expenses such as food and other necessities for rescued women and children," he added.

In a separate written reply, Majhi said 1,35,074 cases were registered across various police stations over the last eight months, with the highest number of cases recorded in Ganjam district.

He assured that the law and order situation remains under control and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to maintaining peace.

"Whenever any law and order situation arises, police immediately intervene and take necessary action against the accused as per law," Majhi added.