Lok Sabha Question No. 249 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-06-24
Subject: Child Labour
Ministry: LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
Asked by: Kapil Moreshwar Patil

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 249 TO BE ANSWERED ON 24.06.2019

## CHILD LABOUR

†249. SHRI KAPIL MORESHWAR PATIL:

Will  the  Minister  of  LABOUR  AND  EMPLOYMENTbe  pleased  to state:

- (a)the details of steps taken/being taken by the Government to check Child Labour and whether these steps have been successful;
- (b)if  so,  the  comparative  data  in  respect  of  during  last  three  years;
- and
- (c)the
- time by which Child Labour is likely to be abolished completely?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE (IC) FOR LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT (SHRI SANTOSH KUMAR GANGWAR)

(a) & (b):   Government of India stands committed to the elimination of child  labour  in  the  country.    Government  has  amended  the  Child Labour (Prohibition  & Regulation) Act, 1986 and enacted Child Labour (Prohibition  &  Regulation)  Amendment  Act,  2016  which  inter-alia covers complete prohibition on employment or work of children below 14 years of age in all occupations and processes; linking the age of the  prohibition  of  employment  with  the  age  for  free  and  compulsory education under Right to Education Act, 2009; prohibition on employment  of  adolescents  (  14  to  18  years  of  age)  in  hazardous occupations  or  processes  and  making  stricter  punishment  for  the employers contravening the provisions of the Act.

Subsequent to the amendment in Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Act, 1986, Government has framed Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Amendment Rules, 2017.

The  Government  is  also  implementing  the  National  Child Labour Project (NCLP) Scheme for rehabilitation of child labour. Under the  NCLP  Scheme,  children  in  the  age  group  of  9-14  years  are rescued/withdrawn  from  work  and  enrolled  in  the  NCLP  Special Training  Centres,  where  they  are  provided  with  bridge  education, vocational  training,  mid  day  meal,  stipend,  health  care,  etc.  before being mainstreamed into formal education system. Children in the age group of 5-8 years are directly linked to the formal education system through a close coordination with the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA).

As per the information received from State Governments the number  of  child  labourers  who  were  rescued/withdrawn  from  work, rehabilitated  and  mainstreamed  under  National  Child  Labour  Project Scheme during the last three years, State-wise is given at Annexure-I.

- (c): Child  Labour  is  an  outcome  of  various  social-economic problems  such  as  poverty,  economic  backwardness  and  illiteracy. Government  is  following  a  holistic  and  multi-pronged  strategy  for elimination of child labour completely. However, keeping in view the multi-faceted  nature  of  problem  of  child  labour  a  definite  time-frame may not be possible for complete abolition of child labour.

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ANNEXURE-I

ANNEXURE  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PART  (b)  OF  LOK  SABHA  UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 249 FOR 24.06.2019 BY SHRI KAPIL MORESHWAR PATIL, HON'BLE MP REGARDING CHILD LABOUR.

Number of children who were rescued/withdrawn from work, rehabilitated and  mainstreamed  under  National  Child  Labour  Project  (NCLP)  Scheme during the last three years, State-wise:

| Sl. No.   | State          |   2016-17 |   2017-18 |   2018-19 |
|-----------|----------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
| 1.        | Andhra Pradesh |       814 |       203 |       778 |
| 2.        | Assam          |       434 |       915 |      4562 |
| 3.        | Bihar          |         0 |      2800 |         0 |
| 4.        | Gujarat        |         0 |       187 |       100 |
| 5.        | Haryana        |        40 |         0 |        90 |
| 6.        | Jharkhand      |       334 |      2014 |       715 |
| 7.        | Karnataka      |       681 |       679 |       752 |
| 8.        | Madhya Pradesh |      4442 |     11400 |     21387 |
| 9.        | Maharashtra    |      1692 |      5250 |      3721 |
| 10.       | Punjab         |       592 |       994 |       579 |
| 11.       | Rajasthan      |       630 |       105 |         0 |
| 12.       | Tamil Nadu     |      2850 |      2855 |      3021 |
| 13.       | Telangana      |      1431 |      2137 |       915 |
| 14.       | Uttar Pradesh  |      3066 |         0 |      7374 |
| 15.       | West Bengal    |     13973 |     17899 |     22114 |
| 16.       | Nagaland       |         0 |       197 |        61 |
|           | Total          |     30979 |     47635 |     66169 |

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