Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis revealed in the legislative council that a special cell has been established by the state government in Maharashtra to locate missing women. This cell, led by Additional Director General (ADG)-level women officers, will oversee the planning and execution of search operations. The Chief Minister highlighted that the efforts of this special cell have resulted in a 10% increase in the number of women found over the past year.
Niranjan Davkhare and Bhai Jagtap raised queries during the session, prompting Fadnavis to emphasize the organization of regular meetings under the guidance of women officers through the Special Cell. The state has initiated campaigns throughout Maharashtra to intensify the search for missing women, with a notable success rate of 55-60% in the first year, escalating to 90% over two and a half to three years.
Fadnavis expressed the government’s ambition to achieve a recovery rate of 95-96%, affirming a commitment to ongoing efforts until this goal is reached. The state’s focus on enhancing the search for missing women involves the implementation of new operations annually. Minister of State for Home Pankaj Bhoyar highlighted the execution of 13 Operation Muskan campaigns between July 2015 and December 2024, leading to the discovery of 41,193 missing boys and girls.
