Lok Sabha Question No. 5309 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-04-05
Subject: Missing Children
Ministry: HOME AFFAIRS
Asked by: Talari Rangaiah

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5309

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 05 TH  APRIL, 2022/ CHAITRA 15, 1944 (SAKA)

MISSING CHILDREN

5309.      DR. TALARI RANGAIAH:

Will the Minister of HOME AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether  the  Government  is  aware  that  the  number  of  missing  children  is increasing year by year;
- (b) if so, the details thereof along with the number of missing children, Statewise; and
- (c) the steps being taken by the Government to tackle the problem?

## ANSWER

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

(a) & (b): National  Crime  Records  Bureau  (NCRB)  compiles  and  publishes statistical  data  on  crimes  in  its  publication  'Crime  in  India'.  The  published reports are available till the year 2020.  The State/ UT-wise number of missing children  (below  18  years)  during  the  years  2018-2020  are  at  Annexure.  Data published by NCRB does not show this trend.

- (c) 'Police' and 'Public Order' are State subjects under the Seventh Schedule to  the  Constitution  of  India.  The  responsibilities  to  maintain  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.

## LS.US.Q.NO.5309 FOR 05.04.2022

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  a  national tracking system for missing and vulnerable children namely TrackChild portal, which has been implemented across the country. It also launched the 'KhoyaPaya' 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.

Ministry  of  Women  &  Child  Development is  implementing  a  Centrally Sponsored  Scheme  i.e.  Child  Protection  Services  Scheme  through  the  State Governments/UT Administrations on pre-defined cost sharing financial pattern. The objective of the Scheme is to  assist States/UTs in providing the safety  net

## LS.US.Q.NO. 5309 FOR 05.04.2022

as  envisaged  under  the  Juvenile  Justice  Act,  2015  and  Rules  there-under,  to support the  children  in  difficult  circumstances.  It  also  aims  at  reduction  of vulnerabilities to situation and actions that lead to abuse, neglect, exploitation, abandonment and separation of children from parents.

## LS.US.Q.NO.5309 FOR 05.04.2022

## Annexure

## State/UT-wise Number of Missing Children (Below 18 years) during 2018-2020

| Sl         | State/UT                   | 2018   | 2019   |   2020 |
|------------|----------------------------|--------|--------|--------|
| 1          | Andhra Pradesh             | 3150   | 3286   |   3294 |
| 2          | Arunachal Pradesh          | 34     | 46     |     18 |
| 3          | Assam                      | 2120   | 2067   |   1562 |
| 4          | Bihar                      | 12072  | 12404  |  12064 |
| 5          | Chhattisgarh               | 4237   | 4460   |   4047 |
| 6          | Goa                        | 47     | 62     |     52 |
| 7          | Gujarat                    | 2417   | 1983   |   1833 |
| 8          | Haryana                    | 3739   | 3978   |   3272 |
| 9          | Himachal Pradesh           | 481    | 534    |    393 |
| 10         | Jharkhand                  | 993    | 972    |    795 |
| 11         | Karnataka                  | 2864   | 1385   |   1638 |
| 12         | Kerala                     | 2153   | 2335   |   1645 |
| 13         | Madhya Pradesh             | 15320  | 17058  |  14553 |
| 14         | Maharashtra                | 6928   | 8276   |   7310 |
| 15         | Manipur                    | 107    | 137    |     79 |
| 16         | Meghalaya                  | 163    | 148    |     76 |
| 17         | Mizoram                    | 3      | 0      |      0 |
| 18         | Nagaland                   | 97     | 53     |     30 |
| 19         | Odisha                     | 3491   | 5503   |   6912 |
| 20         | Punjab                     | 2587   | 2843   |   2706 |
| 21         | Rajasthan                  | 3521   | 4697   |   4250 |
| 22         | Sikkim                     | 57     | 43     |     16 |
| 23         | Tamil Nadu                 | 5333   | 5814   |   6142 |
| 24         | Telangana                  | 4410   | 4566   |   3755 |
| 25         | Tripura                    | 198    | 179    |    157 |
| 26         | Uttar Pradesh              | 5704   | 6089   |   4597 |
| 27         | Uttarakhand                | 938    | 1103   |   1062 |
| 28         | West Bengal                | 16027  | 14774  |  14071 |
|            | TOTAL STATE(S)             | 99191  | 104795 |  96329 |
| 29         | A&N Islands                | 56     | 55     |     33 |
| 30         | Chandigarh                 | 540    | 528    |    509 |
| 31         | D&N Haveli and Daman& Diu+ | 34     | 37     |     24 |
| 32         | Delhi                      | 14986  | 12239  |  10658 |
| 33         | Jammu &Kashmir*            | 800    | 661    |    627 |
| 34         | Ladakh                     | -      |        |      5 |
| 35         | Lakshadweep                | 0      | 0      |      0 |
| 36         | Puducherry                 | 49     | 49     |     49 |
|            | TOTAL UT(S)                | 16465  | 13569  |  11905 |
| TOTAL (ALL | INDIA)                     | 115656 | 118364 | 108234 |

Source: Crime in India