Lok Sabha Question No. 4084 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-03-27
Subject: Action Against People Employing Child Labour
Ministry: LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
Asked by: VISHNU DAYAL RAM

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4084 TO BE ANSWERED ON 27.03.2017

## ACTION AGAINST PEOPLE EMPLOYING CHILD LABOUR

†4084. SHRI VISHNU DAYAL RAM:

Will the Minister of LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT be pleased to state:

- (a)whether a large number of people employing Child labour are let off in absence of provision to punish the guilty in the existing laws to prevent child labour in the country;
- (b)if  so,  the  details  thereof  and  the  reaction  of  the  Government thereto;
- (c)the  details  of  the  existing  provisions  to  punish  the  people  found
- employing child labour;and
- (d)the details of action taken against those found involved employing child labour during the last two years, State/UT-wise?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE (IC) FOR LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT (SHRI BANDARU DATTATREYA)

- (a) to (c): Government has amended the Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation)  Act,  1986  and  enacted  the  Child  Labour  (Prohibition  & Regulation)  Amendment  Act,  2016  which  came  into  force  w.e.f. 1.9.2016. The amended Act inter-alia provides for complete prohibition on  employment  or  work  of  children  below  14  years  of  age  in  any occupation  or  process  and  prohibition  of  employment  or  work  of adolescents (14-18 years) in the scheduled occupations and processes. The punishment for violation of provisions of the Act has been  made  stricter and  the offence of employing  any  child  or adolescent in contravention of the Act by an employer has been made cognizable. The existing penalty provisions against violation of the Act are as under:
- in

(i) In case of first offence of employing any child or adolescent in contravention of the Act, penalty would be imprisonment for a term not less than six months but which may extend  to  two  years  or  with  fine  not  less  than  Rs.20,000/,  but which may extend to Rs.50,000/- or with both.

(ii) In case of a second or subsequent offence of employing any child  or  adolescent  in  contravention  of  the  Act,  the  minimum imprisonment would be one year which may extend to three years.

(d): As per the information received from the States, the details of  action taken against employers under Child Labour Act during the last two years, State/UT-wise are given at Annexure.

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ANNEXURE  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PART  (d)  OF  LOK  SABHA  UNSTARRED  QUESTION  NO.  4084  FOR  27.3.2017  BY  SHRI  VISHNU  DAYAL  RAM, HON'BLE  MP  REGARDING  ACTION  AGAINST  PEOPLE  EMPLOYING  CHILD LABOUR.

The state wise details of action taken against employers under the Child Labour Act during the last two years (2015 & 2016)

| State/UT Years (2015 &2016)   |   No. of Inspections carried out | No. of Prosecutions launched   | No. of Convictions made   |
|-------------------------------|----------------------------------|--------------------------------|---------------------------|
| Andmn &Nico I. UT             |                               79 | 0                              | 0                         |
| Andhra Pradesh                |                                8 | 1                              | 2                         |
| Assam                         |                             5198 | 23                             | NA                        |
| Bihar                         |                            10265 | 829                            | 7                         |
| Chandigarh U.T.               |                              906 | 17                             | 23                        |
| Chhattisgarh                  |                             1460 | 62                             | NA                        |
| Dadra &Nagar H. UT            |                               37 | 0                              | NA                        |
| Daman &Diu U.T.               |                              461 | 0                              | 0                         |
| Delhi U.T.                    |                              211 | 312                            | 94                        |
| Goa                           |                              637 | 0                              | NA                        |
| Gujarat                       |                            21741 | 158                            | 0                         |
| Haryana                       |                             4229 | 57                             | 51                        |
| Himachal Pradesh              |                             6319 | 13                             | 6                         |
| Jharkhand                     |                            11575 | 250                            | 0                         |
| Karnataka                     |                            30934 | 140                            | 30                        |
| Kerala                        |                             3991 | 3                              | 1                         |
| Lakshadweep UT                |                                0 | 0                              | 0                         |
| Madhya Pradesh                |                             1198 | 230                            | 88                        |
| Maharashtra                   |                             5862 | 88                             | 0                         |
| Meghalaya                     |                            10772 | 13                             | 15                        |
| Mizoram                       |                               56 | 0                              | 0                         |
| Odisha                        |                             4642 | 356                            | 17                        |
| Puducherry U.T.               |                             8150 | NA                             | NA                        |
| Punjab                        |                            22358 | 481                            | 369                       |
| Rajasthan                     |                             2192 | 24                             | 10                        |
| Sikkim                        |                              200 | NA                             | NA                        |
| Tamil Nadu                    |                           293253 | 32                             | 35                        |
| Uttar Pradesh                 |                             2247 | 444                            | 434                       |
| Uttarakhand                   |                             2311 | 9                              | 1                         |
| West Bengal                   |                              486 | 22                             | 0                         |
| Total                         |                           451778 | 3564                           | 1183                      |

NA=Not available.

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