Lok Sabha Question No. 3675 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2015-12-21
Subject: Education for Labourers Children
Ministry: HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: SANGANNA AMARAPPA KARADI, ANIRUDHAN SAMPATH, R.P. MARUTHARAJAA

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION & LITERACY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3675 TO BE ANSWERED ON 21 ST  DECEMBER, 2015

## Education for Labourers Children

3675.  SHRI SANGANNA AMARAPPA: DR. A. SAMPATH: SHRI R.P. MARUTHARAJAA:

Will the Minister of HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT मानव संसाधन िवकास मंत्री be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has any data regarding the number of children who are engaged in family labour while attending schools;
- (b) what is the number of children who do not attend school due to their being engaged in family labour;
- (c)  whether  Government  has  any  plan  to  bring  such  children  also  to  schools  either  by allowing them to continue in family labour part time or by compensating their families; and

(d) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER MINISTER OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT (SMT. SMRITI ZUBIN IRANI)

(a) & (b): No such data is maintained in the Ministry of Human Resource Development. The Ministry of Labour & Employment has also reported that they do not maintain such data.

(c) & (d): The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, which became operative with effect from 1 st April, 2010, mandates that all children in the age group of 6-14 years shall be in schools for completing elementary education. Section 4 of the RTE Act  provides  for  special  training  for  age  appropriate  admission  of  out  of  school  children. Those children who have missed out certain academic years either because they were never enrolled in school or  dropped out of school, have a right to Special Training in residential and  non  residential  mode,  subsequently  to  be  mainstreamed  in  formal  schools  in  age appropriate class.

The Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Act, 1986 prohibits the employment of children below  14  years  of  age  in  18  occupations  and  65  processes  and  regulates  the  working condition of children in employment where they are not prohibited.

The Ministry of Labour and Employment is implementing the National Child Labour Project (NCLP)  Scheme  since  1988  to  rehabilitate  working  children  in  12  child  labour  endemic districts  of  the  country.  Children  rescued/withdrawn  from  work  in  the  age  group  of  9-14 years  are  enrolled  in  the  NCLP  Special  Training  Centres,  where  they  are  provided  bridge education,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).  Presently, the Scheme is being implemented in 270 Districts of 21 States  in  the  country  and  as  per  reports  received  from  the  Project  Societies,  about  3230 special  training  centres  are  in  operation  with  an  enrolment  of  approximately  1.48  lakh children.  Since  inception  more  than  11.40  lakhs  children  have  been  mainstreamed  into  the formal education system

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