Gandhinagar, March 9 – The Gujarat government on Monday informed the state Assembly that 196 out of 198 children reported missing in the Junagadh and Gir Somnath districts over the past two years have been traced.
Responding to a question on missing children and women, Minister of State for Law and Justice, Kaushik Vekariya, said that 152 complaints of missing children were registered in Junagadh district and 46 in Gir Somnath during the period.
"The police have traced all 46 children in the Gir Somnath district and handed them over to their families. Similarly, 150 children have been traced in Junagadh district, while the search for the remaining two children is currently underway," he said.
The minister stated that the state police handle cases of missing children and women with sensitivity and urgency, noting that for families, the disappearance of a child is deeply distressing.
"For any family, their child is like the cornerstone of their life. When such young children go missing, it is like the sky falling on the family," he said.
Vekariya told the House that the first 24 hours after a person goes missing are considered the "golden hours".
"If a complaint is filed during this time, the police immediately initiate several measures, including examining CCTV footage, using social media to circulate information, tracking mobile call detail records, and carrying out intensive checks by setting up blockades at railway stations, bus stations, and highways," he said.
He also said that Gujarat has been making effective use of the Central government's 'Mission Vatsalya portal' to reunite children with their families.
Whenever an unidentified child is found, the photograph is uploaded on the portal, which automatically matches it with the database of missing children, he added.
According to the minister, data from the National Crime Records Bureau for 2023 shows that Gujarat ranks 27th in the country in crimes against children, indicating a relatively low child crime rate compared to other states.
In a separate reply in the Assembly, Vekariya said that the state government has implemented the 'Student Police Cadet' scheme to encourage discipline, civic responsibility, and awareness of the law among school students.
The programme aims to instill qualities such as skill development, self-discipline, and empathy towards all sections of society from an early age. Under the scheme, students of Classes 8 and 9 from selected government and grant-in-aid schools are enrolled.
First-year participants are designated as junior students, and second-year participants as senior students. Each batch consists of a platoon of 44 students, including 22 boys and 22 girls.
Students receive a combination of indoor and outdoor training, with four classes of each conducted every week, totaling 8 sessions and 240 hours of training per year.
"Indoor sessions include activities such as speech competitions focusing on crime prevention, control, and awareness about social evils, while outdoor training covers programmes on de-addiction, cleanliness drives, road safety, traffic awareness, environmental protection, and tree plantation," the minister noted.
The minister said that over the past two years, Rs 121.65 lakh has been spent in Surat district and Rs 107.92 lakh in Bharuch district for the overall development of students under the scheme.