Delhi HC to Centre: Can Nirbhaya fund be used for tracing missing children

The Delhi High Court on Monday asked the Center if the Nirbhaya fund money can be used for providing facilities to trace missing children in Delhi.

The High Court asked the Centre to reply on the issue within two weeks.

"How are you using the Nirbhaya funds? Can it be used to tackle larger law and order issues such as the problem of missing kids?" asked the Delhi High Court.

The High court further asked that why the Delhi police does not have facial recognition software to trace kidnapped and missing children.

Delhi's record of tracing its missing children is the worst in the country, according to data tabled in Parliament.

According to the data, Delhi could only trace 9727 missing children in five years out to total 26761 those went missing in Delhi.

Across the country, 30% of the children remained untraceable but in Delhi - the number was the highest - 63%.

Rs. 3100 crore was collected in the Nirbhaya fund since 2013 to 2014 financial year and Rs. 2209 crore was sanctioned for projects regarding women's safety in 2014 to 2015.

Twenty-two projects were also sanctioned after recommendation by the empowered committee.

Following the 2012 brutal gang rape, Nirbhaya Fund was announced by the then Finance Minister P. Chidambaram in the 2013 budget speech, with Government contribution of Rs. 1000 crores for empowerment, safety and security of women and girl children.