Lok Sabha Question No. 222 (STARRED), answered on 2016-03-14
Subject: Child Labour
Ministry: LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
Asked by: VINAYAK BHAURAO RAUT, SUNIL KUMAR MONDAL

## MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 222 TO BE ANSWERED ON 14.03.2016

## CHILD LABOUR

## *222. SHRI VINAYAK BHAURAO RAUT: SHRI SUNIL KUMAR MONDAL:

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

- (a)  whether  the  child  labour  is  still  prevalent  in  the  country  despite stringent laws and if so, the reasons therefor;
- (b)  the number of child labourers reported in various sectors, sectorwise  and  State/UT-wise  for  the  last  three  years  and  the  current year;
- (c)  whether the Union Government has urged the State Governments to ensure regular inspections/checks in schools, hotels, establishments and shops etc. and spread awareness to curb the menace of child labour and if so, the details thereof and response of the States/UTs thereto;
- (d) whether the Government proposes to revisit the policy to safeguard the  children  rights  and  eradicate  the  child  labour  problem  in  the country and if so, the details thereof and the action taken in this regard; and
- (e) whether the Government has also decided to set up any committee to study the reasons and causes of increasing child labour and for giving suggestions for its eradication and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

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

(a) to (e): A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

*                                             ********

## STATEMENT  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PARTS  (a)  TO  (e)  OF  LOK  SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 222 RAISED BY SHRI VINAYAK BHAURAO RAUT AND SHRI SUNIL KUMAR MONDAL FOR ANSWER ON 14.3.2016 REGARDING CHILD LABOUR.

(a) & (b): Child Labour is an outcome of various socio-economic problems. The number of main workers in the age group of 5-14 years in the country is 43.53 lakh as per 2011 Census which shows a decline from 2001 Census. The number of main workers in the age group of 5 to 14  years  as  per  2011  Census,  State-wise  is  given  at  Annexure.  The  sector  wise  data  is  not available from 2011 Census.

(c) to (e): Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Act, 1986 prohibits the employment of children below 14 years of age in certain occupations and processes and regulates the working conditions of children in employment where they are not prohibited. Under the Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Act, 1986, Central Government is the appropriate Government for enforcement in respect of Central Government establishments, railways, major ports, mines or oil  fields  and  in  all  other  cases,  State  Government  is  the  appropriate  Government  for enforcement of the Act. As per the Act, the appropriate Government may appoint Inspectors for the  purpose  of  securing  compliance  with  the  provisions  of  the  Act.  Ministry  oversees  the effective  enforcement of the Act through regular monitoring and periodical review of reports sent  by  State  Governments.  As  per  the  information  received  from  States/UTs  the  number  of inspections carried out under Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Act, 1986 during the last three years is as under:

|   Year |   No. of inspections |
|--------|----------------------|
|   2013 |               230642 |
|   2014 |               269628 |
|   2015 |               143914 |

A  Bill  to  amend  the  Child  Labour  (Prohibition  &  Regulation)  Act,  1986  has  been introduced  in  Rajya  Sabha  in  2012.  The  Government  has  also  decided  to  move  Official Amendments  to  this  Bill.  The  Amendment  Bill  along  with  Official  Amendments,  inter-alia, proposes complete prohibition on employment of children below 14 years, linking the age of prohibition with the age under Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, making the punishment for employers more stringent and constitution of Rehabilitation Fund for rehabilitation activities.

Government  is  also  implementing  the  National  Child  Labour  Project  (NCLP)  Scheme under  which  the  children  rescued/  withdrawn  from  work  in  the  age  group  of  9-14  years  are enrolled  in  the  NCLP  Special  Training  Centres.  They  are  provided  with  bridge  education, vocational  training,  mid  day  meal,  stipend,  health  care  etc.  in  the  Special  Training  Centres before mainstreaming 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 Abhiyaan (SSA). The Scheme also envisages awareness generation campaigns against the  evils  of  child  labour  and  enforcement  of  child  labour  laws.  Further,  Government  has reviewed the guidelines for the NCLP Scheme to make it more effective towards rehabilitation of child labour. A  Central Monitoring  Committee  with  the  representatives  from State Governments and other concerned Ministries/Departments for overall supervision of the child labour projects, to discuss, analyse, invite suggestions on eradication of child labour is already in place. The last meeting of the Committee was held on 17.2.2016.

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## ANNEXURE

ANNEXURE  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PARTS  (a)  AND  (b)  OF  LOK  SABHA STARRED  QUESTION  NO.222  RAISED  BY  SHRI  VINAYAK  BHAURAO  RAUT  AND SHRI  SUNIL  KUMAR  MONDAL  FOR  ANSWER  ON  14.3.2016  REGARDING  CHILD LABOUR.

## State-wise details of main workers in the age group of 5-14 years as per Census 2011:

| Sl. No.   | Name of State/UT        |   No. of main workers in the age group of 5-14 years |
|-----------|-------------------------|------------------------------------------------------|
| 1.        | Andaman &Nicobar Island |                                                  999 |
| 2.        | Andhra Pradesh **       |                                               404851 |
| 3.        | Arunachal Pradesh       |                                                 5766 |
| 4.        | Assam                   |                                                99512 |
| 5.        | Bihar                   |                                               451590 |
| 6.        | Chandigarh U.T.         |                                                 3135 |
| 7.        | Chhattisgarh            |                                                63884 |
| 8.        | Dadra &Nagar H.         |                                                 1054 |
| 9.        | Daman &Diu U.T.         |                                                  774 |
| 10.       | Delhi U.T.              |                                                26473 |
| 11.       | Goa                     |                                                 6920 |
| 12.       | Gujarat                 |                                               250318 |
| 13.       | Haryana                 |                                                53492 |
| 14.       | Himachal Pradesh        |                                                15001 |
| 15.       | Jammu &Kashmir          |                                                25528 |
| 16.       | Jharkhand               |                                                90996 |
| 17.       | Karnataka               |                                               249432 |
| 18.       | Kerala                  |                                                21757 |
| 19.       | Lakshadweep UT          |                                                   28 |
| 20.       | Madhya Pradesh          |                                               286310 |
| 21.       | Maharashtra             |                                               496916 |
| 22.       | Manipur                 |                                                11805 |
| 23.       | Meghalaya               |                                                18839 |
| 24.       | Mizoram                 |                                                 2793 |
| 25.       | Nagaland                |                                                11062 |
| 26.       | Odisha                  |                                                92087 |
| 27.       | Puducherry U.T.         |                                                 1421 |
| 28.       | Punjab                  |                                                90353 |
| 29.       | Rajasthan               |                                               252338 |
| 30.       | Sikkim                  |                                                 2704 |
| 31.       | Tamil Nadu              |                                               151437 |
| 32.       | Tripura                 |                                                 4998 |
| 33.       | Uttar Pradesh           |                                               896301 |
| 34.       | Uttarakhand             |                                                28098 |
| 35.       | West Bengal             |                                               234275 |
|           | Total                   |                                              4353247 |

Including Telangana.