Bhopal, Jan 13 (PTI) Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Wednesday asked police officers to ensure that young men and women do not go missing when they go out of their natives places in search of employment.

Arrangements should be made to ensure registration of details of young men and women who go out seeking employment, along with their mobile numbers with authorities, an official release quoted Chouhan as saying.

The statement was issued after news reports said Chouhan has suggested putting in place a system for keeping a police record of women who go out of their native districts for work.

News is being circulated in social media that every working woman must get registered at the local police station and that police will keep an eye on their movement, the release said.

However, the fact is that Chouhan has instructed police officers to ensure that young men and women (beta beti) do not go missing when they go out of their natives places in search of employment, an official release said.

Chouhan directed registration of details of youngsters going out of their native districts for employment at different levels - state, district and gram panchayat - depending on their potential workplace, it said.

According to the release, Chouhan said the police department will play a key role in this task, which will be undertaken in coordination with other departments.

"Such an arrangement will ensure that children (beta- beti) who go out of their districts or the state can be helped if they get into any trouble.

"Children can also contact and apprise the police or department concerned with their difficulty. Quick action can be taken in case they go missing," the release said.

Disappearance of girls is a matter of concern. Tracing missing girls should be a priority.

"A system should be created so that a complete record of girls going out of their districts for work, employment etc is maintained so that they can file a complaint," Chouhan was quoted as saying during a meeting in a Public Relations Department press release issued on Monday.

"There should be a system where registration is made mandatory for those going out of districts for work, said the January 11 release.

Reacting to the Monday release, the Congress said this shows the state governments failure in controlling crime against women.

This is CMs gimmick to make headlines. Girls who go out for work do so after informing their family.

"But how girls who go missing will get registered with the local administration? State Congress spokesman Bhupendra Gupta asked.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)