Bhubaneswar: As many as 20,060 missing persons were registered in Odisha between June 2024 and February 2025, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi informed the General Assembly on Monday.
In a written reply from Congress MLA Sofia Firedous, CM said that 7,048 people were tracked in the total case, while 13,012 people remain untracked.
The BJP took office in the state on June 12, 2024.
To inform you of the reasons for the delay in resolving pending cases, Majhi cites some challenges.
He said relatives often delay any reports due to social stigma, ignorance or other reasons.
He added that many people left the state to go to work without informing their families, resulting in false reports of lost losses.
He added: “There are a large number of cases involving underage girls elopement and they evade police notices due to concerns about criminal prosecution of their partners. In some cases, families and informants hesitate to disclose complete information to police, resulting in delays in the investigation.”
Although the Ministry of Women and Child Development has launched the Mission Vatsalya portal to track and reunite missing children and families, its effectiveness has been hampered by the failures of the Commission on Child Welfare (CWCS) and Child Care Institutions (CCIS), uploading relevant data, CM said.
The Chief Minister stressed the need to integrate facial recognition software into the portal, which can help identify and reunite children with parents.
He added that measures are being taken to fill vacancies in the integrated anti-human trafficking sector (IAHTU), the Special Juvenile Police Department (SJPU) and the police department to improve response time for missing persons cases.
The government has also proposed financial allocations to enhance rescue operations, CM said.
He said: “A total of Rs 322.4 crore was reserved to strengthen the SJPU, by hiring the drivers who transported the rescued children home with the driver. In addition, a Rs 261 crore investigation unit was allocated to the 29 districts for investigation by women of crime (IUCAW) in 29 districts.”
The government has proposed to provide funds to Mahila (women) and Sishu (children) tables in all 649 police stations to cover food and other expenses related to the rescue of missing women and children.
He added that the government has proposed Rs 1,947 crore for Mahila (women) and Sishu (children) desks in all 649 police stations.
He added: “Each table will receive Rs 25,000 per month to cover costs such as food and other essential items for rescued women and children.”
In another written reply, Majhi said that in the past eight months, various police stations have conducted 1,35,074 cases in various police stations, with the largest number of cases recorded in the Ganjam area.
He assured that the situation of law and order was still under control and reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to maintaining peace.
Majhi added: “Whenever any legal and order situation occurs, the police immediately intervene and take necessary actions against the defendants in accordance with the law.”
