Lok Sabha Question No. 320 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-02-03
Subject: Missing Children
Ministry: WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Jual Oram

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA UN-STARRED QUESTION NO.320 TO BE ANSWERED ON 03.02.2023

## MISSING CHILDREN

320.   SHRI JUAL ORAM:

Will the Minister of WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has taken note of instances of missing children being traced by the police although their relatives have not been traced during the last three years;
- (b) if so, the number of such children reported during the last three years, State-wise; and
- (c) the details of scheme formulated by the Government for the upbringing and education of such children?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT (SHRIMATI SMRITI ZUBIN IRANI)

(a) & (b) : The Ministry of Women and Child Development developed the 'TrackChild Portal', which enables tracking of the missing and found children. One component of Track Child has "Khoya Paya" where any citizen can report for any missing or sighted children. The TrackChild Portal is implemented with support and involvement of various stakeholders namely Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Railways, State Governments/ UT Administrations, Child Welfare Committees, Juvenile Justice Boards, National Legal Services Authority, etc. Standard operating procedures have been issued for the "Track Child" Portal. Advisories have also been issued to all States and UTs including Director General of Police of all States & UTs and other stakeholders regarding implementation of TrackChild portal. State/UT-wise number of children missing and traced by the police during last three years period (01.01.2020 to 31.12.2022) is at Annexure-I.

(c)  :  The  Ministry  is  implementing  a  centrally  sponsored  scheme  namely  'Mission Vatsalya' to support to the State and UT Governments for delivering services for Children in Need of Care and Protection (CNCP) and Children in Conflict with Law (CCL) in difficult circumstances,  including  for  the  missing  children.  The  Child  Care  Institutions  (CCIs) established under the scheme support inter-alia age-appropriate education, access to vocational training, recreation, health care and counselling. The children in need of care and protection staying with their relatives or in foster care receive support under Mission Vatsalya.

*****

## ANNEXURE - I

ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (A) TO (B) OF THE LOK SABHA UN-STARRED QUESTION NO.320 FOR ANSWER ON 03.02.2023 ASKED BY SHRI JUAL ORAM REGARDING MISSING CHILDREN

State/UT-wise number of children Missing and Traced by the police during last three years period i.e. 01.01.2020 to 31.12.2022

| Sl. No.   | State/UT                             | Number of Children Missing   | Number of Children Traced   |
|-----------|--------------------------------------|------------------------------|-----------------------------|
| 1         | Andaman & Nicobar Islands            | 66                           | 61                          |
| 2         | Andhra Pradesh                       | 3185                         | 2137                        |
| 3         | Arunachal Pradesh                    | 0                            | 0                           |
| 4         | Assam                                | 291                          | 167                         |
| 5         | Bihar                                | 1880                         | 519                         |
| 6         | Chandigarh                           | 257                          | 180                         |
| 7         | Chhattisgarh                         | 8871                         | 7506                        |
| 8         | Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu | 11                           | 3                           |
| 9         | Delhi                                | 9585                         | 7552                        |
| 10        | Goa                                  | 7                            | 3                           |
| 11        | Gujarat                              | 10529                        | 10056                       |
| 12        | Haryana                              | 1146                         | 846                         |
| 13        | Himachal Pradesh                     | 310                          | 271                         |
| 14        | Jammu & Kashmir*                     | 106                          | 40                          |
| 15        | Ladakh*                              | -                            | -                           |
| 16        | Jharkhand                            | 8                            | 23                          |
| 17        | Karnataka                            | 14383                        | 10983                       |
| 18        | Kerala                               | 2427                         | 2325                        |
| 19        | Lakshadweep                          | 0                            | 0                           |
| 20        | Madhya Pradesh                       | 32976                        | 32472                       |
| 21        | Maharashtra                          | 3924                         | 6650                        |
| 22        | Manipur                              | 1                            | 0                           |
| 23        | Meghalaya                            | 176                          | 203                         |
| 24        | Mizoram                              | 0                            | 0                           |
| 25        | Nagaland                             | 0                            | 1                           |
| 26        | Odisha                               | 13220                        | 12254                       |
| 27        | Puducherry                           | 528                          | 127                         |
| 28        | Punjab                               | 534                          | 164                         |
| 29        | Rajasthan                            | 5448                         | 4786                        |
| 30        | Sikkim                               | 83                           | 74                          |
| 31        | Tamil Nadu                           | 1427                         | 1006                        |
| 32        | Telangana                            | 1260                         | 560                         |
| 33        | Tripura                              | 40                           | 26                          |
| 34        | Uttarakhand                          | 1006                         | 826                         |
| 35        | Uttar Pradesh                        | 5498                         | 2243                        |
| 36        | West Bengal                          | 27133                        | 24603                       |
| Total     | Total                                | 146316                       | 128667                      |