Lok Sabha Question No. 3493 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-03-16
Subject: Child Labour
Ministry: LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
Asked by: Lallu Singh, Pallab Lochan Das, Anil Firojiya

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3493 TO BE ANSWERED ON 16.03.2020

## CHILD LABOUR

†3493. SHRI LALLU SINGH: SHRI PALLAB LOCHAN DAS: SHRI ANIL FIROJIYA:

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

- (a)whether  the  Government  has  taken  cognizance  of  the  fact  that despite ban on the Child Labour in the country, it is still prevalent and on the rise in many parts of the country;
- (b)whether  it  is  a  fact  that  the  Government  has  taken  several initiatives  to  tackle  Child  Labour  and  if  so,  the  details  of  all  the ongoing initiatives;
- (c)the  details  of  the  provisions  made  to  check  child  trafficking  and protect them from Child Labour;
- (d)the  details  of  the  cases  of  Child  Labour  registered  and  the  steps taken in this regard;
- (e)whether the Government proposes to enact a law in this regard; and
- (f)if so, the details thereof including the policy initiatives/action plan to
- abolish Child Labour and Child trafficking in the country?

## ANSWER

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

(a) to (f): The Government of India stands committed to  eradication of child labour from the country.

Contd..2/-

The Government has amended the Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Act, 1986 and enacted the Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Amendment Act, 2016 which came into force with effect from 1.9.2016. The Amendment Act, inter-alia,  provides for complete prohibition of work or employment of children below 14 years of age in any occupation and process and prohibition of adolescents in the age group of 14 to 18 years in hazardous occupations and processes. The Amendment Act  also  provides  for  stricter  punishment  for  employers for violation of the Act and has made the offence as cognizable.

After strengthening the legislative framework through amendment in Child Labour Act, the Government has also framed the Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Amendment Rules, 2017 which, inter-alia, specifies the duties and responsibilities of State Governments and District Authorities to ensure effective enforcement of  the  provisions  of  the  Act.  The  Government  has  also  devised  a Standard  Operating  Procedure  as  a  ready  reckoner  for  trainers, practitioners and enforcing and monitoring agencies.

The Ministry of Labour and Employment is also implementing the National Child Labour Project (NCLP) Scheme since 1988 for rehabilitation of child labourers. Under the NCLP, the 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.    The  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.

The  Scheme is regularly monitored and evaluated  by the Chairman,    Project  Director  of  the  Society,    District  Nodal  Officer,

Labour Commissioner and Ministry of Labour and Employment.

To ensure the effective enforcement of the provisions of the Child  Labour  Act  and  smooth  implementation  of  NCLP  Scheme,  a Effective Enforcement for No Child Labour) is developed in order to make the NCLP successful through better monitoring and implementation.  The Government(s), dedicated online portal named PENCIL (Platform for Portal connects Central Government to State District(s), all Project Societies and the general public .

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