Mahakumbh 2025 has set a historic milestone with its grandeur and an unprecedented gathering of over 50 crore devotees.
To ensure the safety and smooth management of this massive event, the Uttar Pradesh government has introduced several groundbreaking initiatives. One of them is the establishment of digital lost and found centers, designed to quickly reunite lost devotees with their families. This initiative has already helped reconnect over 20,000 missing individuals with their loved ones, proving to be a crucial support system for the event.
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Notably, the UP government has successfully reunited 20,144 people who had been separated from their families in this year’s Mahakumbh. A large number of those reunited were women. The police also played a key role by helping devotees from various states, and even from Nepal, reconnect with their loved ones.
Notably, during the Amrit Snan on Mauni Amavasya (January 28, 29, and 30), the digital lost and found centers managed the crowd efficiently and reunited all 8,725 lost devotees with their families. Similarly, during the Makar Sankranti Amrit snan (January 13, 14, and 15), 598 devotees were brought back to their families, and during Basant Panchami Amrit Snan (February 2, 3, and 4), the centers helped 813 more devotees in reuniting with their families.
Apart from these major bathing festivals, the digital centers have successfully helped over 10,000 more people reunite with their families on regular days and other auspicious occasions. On December 7 last, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had inaugurated the digital lost and found centers, ensuring a hassle-free experience for devotees attending the Mahakumbh. He directed the police administration and fair authorities to ensure that no devotee faces any inconvenience.
In line with this directive, 10 digital lost and found centers were set up at key locations, including Sangam, Jhunsi, Arail, Phaphamau, and sectors 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 21, 23, and 24, as well as near Prayagraj Junction Railway Station.These centers are equipped with advanced AI-based facial recognition technology, machine learning, and multilingual support, enabling the quick reunification of lost individuals with their families.
The state police, administrative officials, and various volunteer organizations played a crucial role in the functioning of these centers. UNICEF and several other non-governmental organizations also contributed actively to this initiative.