Lok Sabha Question No. 4526 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-03-28
Subject: Missing Children
Ministry: HOME AFFAIRS
Asked by: Pratima Mondal

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4526

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 28 TH  MARCH, 2023/ CHAITRA 7, 1945 (SAKA)

MISSING CHILDREN

4526. SHRIMATI PRATIMA MONDAL:

Will the Minister of HOME AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

(a) whether it is a fact that the gap between missing and traced children has widened in the country during each of the last three years and the current year;

(b)  if  so,  the  details  thereof  along  with  the  number  of  cases  of  missing children  reported  and  traced  across  the  country  during  the  said  period, State/UT-wise;

- (c)  whether  it  is  also  a  fact  that  the  gap  between  registration  of  such cases and conviction therein has increased in the country during the said period;

(d) if so, the details thereof along with the conviction rate in such cases, State/UT-wise; and

(e)  the  corrective  measures  taken  by  the  Government  to  check  such cases and improve the conviction rate?

ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS (SHRI AJAY KUMAR MISHRA)

(a) to (d) : National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) compiles and publishes statistical  data on  crimes  in its publication 'Crime  in India'.  The published  reports  are  available  until  year  2021.  Specific  information  on conviction  in  cases  of  Missing  Children  is  not  maintained  by  NCRB. However, the State/UT-wise details of number of children (below 18 years)

missing and traced in the country during the year 2019-21 is at Annexure.

## L.S. USQ. NO. 4526 FOR 28.03.2023

(e):  'Police'  and  'Public  Order'  are  State  subjects  under  the  Seventh Schedule  to  the  Constitution  of  India.  The  responsibility  of  maintaining law  and  order,  protection  of  life  and  property  of  the  citizens  including investigation and prosecution of crime against citizens including children rest with the respective State Governments. The State Governments are competent to deal with such offences under the extant provisions of laws.

Further,  Ministry  of  Women  and  Child  Development  has  issued  the 'Standard  Operating  Procedure  (SOP)  for  cases  of  missing  children'  to assist  Police,  child  Welfare  Committees  and  Juvenile  Justice  Board  in dealing with the cases of missing and found or recovered children. The objective of the SOP is to put in place guidelines while dealing with cases of  missing  children  and  to  work  in  coordination  with  the  concerned stakeholders and respond with urgency to issues of missing child.

For  providing  outreach  services  to  missing  children  and  needy children,  the  Ministry  of  Women  and  Child  Development  operates  Child Helpline  No.  1098,  which  is  operational  24/7.  Apart  from  this,  Railway Childlines at major railway platforms are also being operated to provide assistance to any needy  child. The  Ministry  of  Women  and  Child Development has also developed the 'Khoya-Paya' portal in 2015, which is an enabling platform, where citizens can report missing children as well as sightings of their whereabouts without losing much time.

## L.S. USQ. NO. 4526 FOR 28.03.2023

Ministry  of  Women  and  Child  Development  has  also  initiated  the 'TrackChild  Portal',  which  enables  tracking  of  the  missing  and  found children.  Under  this,  logins  have  been  provided  to  the  Police  Stations, Juvenile  Justice  Boards  and  Child  Care  Institutions  whereby  they  are required to update the information, on the portal, about missing and found children regularly.

Further, the Ministry of Women & Child Development is implementing    'Child  Protection  Services'  (CPS)  (erstwhile  Integrated Child Protection Scheme)  under  which  support is provided to the States/UT Administrations with the objective to create a safe and secure environment  for  overall  development  of  children  in  need  of  care  and protection and children in conflict with the law.

In addition, Ministry of Home Affairs has been issuing advisories to States/UTs  to  deal  with  crime  against  children.  These  advisories  are available on MHA's website at: https://www.mha.gov.in.

*****

## ANNEXUREMENTIONED IN REPLY TO THE LOK SABHA UN-STARRED QUESTION NO. 4526 FOR ANSWER ON 28.03.2023 REGARDING MISSING CHILDREN.

## The State/UT-wise details of number of children (below 18 years) missing and traced in the country during the year 2019-21

|    | State/UT              | 2019    | 2019   | 2020    | 2020   | 2021    | 2021   |
|----|-----------------------|---------|--------|---------|--------|---------|--------|
| SL | State/UT              | Missing | Traced | Missing | Traced | Missing | Traced |
| 1  | Andhra Pradesh        | 2746    | 2737   | 2745    | 2658   | 3720    | 3589   |
| 2  | Arunachal Pradesh     | 44      | 41     | 13      | 13     | 44      | 20     |
| 3  | Assam                 | 1410    | 1389   | 877     | 1232   | 1161    | 1116   |
| 4  | Bihar                 | 7299    | 5208   | 4868    | 4773   | 4578    | 5269   |
| 5  | Chhattisgarh          | 3143    | 2872   | 2459    | 2530   | 3278    | 3019   |
| 6  | Goa                   | 31      | 25     | 15      | 22     | 13      | 14     |
| 7  | Gujarat               | 1439    | 1354   | 1204    | 1208   | 1395    | 1490   |
| 8  | Haryana               | 2815    | 2610   | 1904    | 2047   | 2343    | 2137   |
| 9  | Himachal Pradesh      | 393     | 429    | 288     | 293    | 444     | 456    |
| 10 | Jharkhand             | 356     | 517    | 340     | 481    | 400     | 371    |
| 11 | Karnataka             | 835     | 832    | 1085    | 1056   | 1575    | 1550   |
| 12 | Kerala                | 2183    | 2195   | 1505    | 1517   | 1609    | 1638   |
| 13 | Madhya Pradesh        | 11022   | 11256  | 8751    | 9944   | 11607   | 12486  |
| 14 | Maharashtra           | 4562    | 4322   | 3356    | 4804   | 4129    | 4311   |
| 15 | Manipur               | 112     | 109    | 51      | 57     | 63      | 50     |
| 16 | Meghalaya             | 104     | 116    | 44      | 58     | 66      | 71     |
| 17 | Mizoram               | 0       | 0      | 0       | 0      | 0       | 0      |
| 18 | Nagaland              | 37      | 44     | 21      | 27     | 26      | 25     |
| 19 | Odisha                | 3151    | 1490   | 2899    | 3641   | 4133    | 4596   |
| 20 | Punjab                | 894     | 792    | 655     | 537    | 1045    | 720    |
| 21 | Rajasthan             | 3655    | 3626   | 3179    | 3015   | 4936    | 4940   |
| 22 | Sikkim                | 38      | 38     | 11      | 13     | 8       | 8      |
| 23 | Tamil Nadu            | 4519    | 4263   | 4591    | 4373   | 6399    | 6301   |
| 24 | Telangana             | 3308    | 3911   | 3100    | 2978   | 3956    | 4079   |
| 25 | Tripura               | 169     | 149    | 127     | 121    | 153     | 161    |
| 26 | Uttar Pradesh         | 3184    | 3872   | 2380    | 2831   | 3522    | 2764   |
| 27 | Uttarakhand           | 539     | 440    | 399     | 701    | 626     | 679    |
| 28 | West Bengal           | 8952    | 8526   | 7648    | 7937   | 9996    | 9045   |
|    | TOTAL STATE(S)        | 66940   | 63163  | 54515   | 58867  | 71225   | 70905  |
| 29 | A&N Islands           | 43      | 43     | 21      | 24     | 25      | 27     |
| 30 | Chandigarh            | 202     | 172    | 153     | 153    | 180     | 181    |
| 31 | D&N Haveli and Daman& | 20      | 16     | 3       | 10     | 19      | 22     |
| 32 | Delhi                 | 6355    | 5880   | 4299    | 5292   | 5772    | 5408   |
| 33 | Jammu &Kashmir        | 277     | 260    | 230     | 183    | 279     | 24a    |
| 34 | Ladakh                | -       | -      | 1       | 1      | 0       | 3      |
| 35 | Lakshadweep           | 0       | 0      | 0       | 0      | 0       | 0      |
| 36 | Puducherry            | 48      | 40     | 40      | 43     | 35      | 41     |
|    | TOTAL UT(S)           | 6945    | 6411   | 4747    | 5706   | 6310    | 5922   |
|    | TOTAL (ALL INDIA)     | 73885   | 69574  | 59262   | 64573  | 77535   | 76827  |

Source: Crime in India

Note: '+'Combined data of erstwhile D&N Haveli UT and Daman & Diu UT for 2019.

*' Data of erstwhile Jammu & Kashmir State including Ladakh for 2019.