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States » EastPosted at: Mar 17 2025 9:29PM


Over 13,000 of 20,060 missing persons remain untraced in Odisha in last nine months – CM

Bhubaneswar, Mar 17 (UNI) Only 7,048 out of the total 20,060 people reported missing in Odisha, as registered in various police stations, have been traced so far, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi informed the State Assembly on Monday.
In a written reply to a question by Congress MLA Sofia Firdous, the Chief Minister stated that a total of 20,060 missing person cases were registered across different parts of Odisha between June 2024 and February 2025.
Majhi said that while 7,048 people have been traced, the remaining 13,012 are still unaccounted for.
The Chief Minister noted that in most cases, there is a delay in filing complaints with the police by the relatives of missing persons, which further delays the resolution of these cases.
He further explained that some individuals leave the state for work without informing their family members. In certain cases, girls reportedly elope with their boyfriends and evade police notice for fear of criminal prosecution, he added.
In a majority of cases, the relatives of missing persons choose not to disclose essential details to the police, which also contributes to delays in resolving these cases, Majhi stated.
The Chief Minister highlighted that the Women and Child Development Department had launched the Mission Vatsalya portal, primarily aimed at tracking, tracing, and recovering missing persons to reunite them with their families.
Majhi also pointed out that details regarding children institutionalized in Child Care Institutions (CCIs) across the country are not being uploaded by Child Welfare Committees (CWCs), making it difficult for various police stations to identify missing persons.
He mentioned that integrating facial recognition software into the Mission Vatsalya portal will help establish the identities of missing children.
Regarding the steps taken by the Odisha government to address these challenges, Majhi said that efforts are underway to fill vacancies in the Integrated Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (IAHTU), Special Juvenile Police Unit (SJPU), and police stations to improve staffing and enhance response efficiency in missing person cases.
The Chief Minister added that funds have been proposed to strengthen SJPUs and the IUCAW at the district level, which will aid in rescuing missing children and reuniting them with their parents.
Additionally, the government has proposed providing funds to Mahila (Women) and Sishu (Children) desks in all police stations, enabling them to allocate resources for food and other essential expenses for rescued individuals.
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Tags: #Over 13#000 of 20#060 missing persons remain untraced in Odisha in last nine months – CM
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