New Delhi, Dec 3 (PTI): Over three lakh children went missing in the past six years and around 2.7 lakh were rescued, Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani informed parliament today.
In a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha, Smriti Irani provided data on missing and rescued children between 2015 and 2020. It shows that while 3,11,290 children went missing during this period, 2,70,698 were rescued.
“The Ministry of Women and Child Development has created the ‘trackthemissingchild’ portal to trace children who are missing and those subsequently found. Police stations, juvenile justice boards, and child care institutions are required to update information about children who are missing and those who have been found regularly,” she said.
The data from the portal shows that there is a declining trend in the number of missing children with the figures decreasing from 80,633 in 2015 to 39,362 in 2020.
In 2019, 49,267 children went missing, of which 44,289 were tracked. In 2018, as many as 48,873 children went missing, and 40,296 were tracked, the minister said.
In 2017, 47,080 children went missing, of which 43,251 were tracked. In 2016, 46,075 children went missing, and 41,931 were tracked, she added.
In 2015, 80,633 children went missing and 66,711 were tracked.