Lok Sabha Question No. 450 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-02-02
Subject: Platform for Effective Enforcement for No Child Labour
Ministry: LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
Asked by: Shri Jagdambika Pal, Shri Anurag Singh Thakur, Shri Captain Brijesh Chowta

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 450 TO BE ANSWERED ON 02.02.2026

## PLATFORM FOR EFFECTIVE ENFORCEMENT FOR NO CHILD LABOUR

450.  SHRI JAGDAMBIKA PAL:

SHRI ANURAG SINGH THAKUR:

SHRI CAPTAIN BRIJESH CHOWTA:

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

- (a)the  details  of  the  progress  achieved  through  Platform  for  Effective Enforcement for No Child Labour (PENCIL) portal launched in September,  2017  including  total  complaints  registered,  resolved  to advance India's commitment towards child labour -free society, State/UT-wise;
- (b)whether the District Nodal Officers have been appointed across all the districts  of  the  country  and  the  current  mechanism  put  in  place  for ensuring 48-hour complaint verification and rescue coordination with police  authorities  for  effective  enforcement  and  if  so,  the  details thereof;
- integration  status  of  Child  Tracking  System component  within  PENCIL  Portal  with  other  Government  schemes, particularly following National Child Labour Project subsumption with Samagra  Shiksha  Abhiyan  in  April,  2021  and  measures  ensuring
- (c)the details of the continuity in rehabilitation services;
- (d)the details of steps taken by the Government to leverage technology for monitoring compliance with Child Labour Amendment Act, 2016; and (e)the details of the roadmap to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Target 8.7 for elimination of child labour and whether the said portal is likely to be integrated with Mission Vatsalaya (Childline-1098) for real-time reporting?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT (SUSHRI SHOBHA KARANDLAJE)

(a) to (e): To ensure effective enforcement of the provisions of the Child and Adolescent Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986, an online portal  PENCiL  (Platform  for  effective  enforcement  for no child labour)

was  developed  by  the  Government.  The  portal  has  five  components namely, Central Government, State Government, District Project Societies, Child Tracking System and Complaint Corner. The details of progress achieved through PENCIL portal may be seen at Annexure.

Section 17A of the Child & Adolescent Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Act, 1986 mandates conferring power on District Magistrate for  effective  implementation  of  the  provision  of  the  Act.    District Magistrates specify their subordinates i.e. District Nodal Officers (DNO) for exercising such powers and performing such duties within their local limits.  Further, the Ministry also issued a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to serve as a ready reckoner for enforcement agencies and other stakeholders.

With effect from 01.04.2021, the National Child Labour Project (NCLP)  Scheme  was  subsumed  under  the  Samagra  Shiksha  Abhiyan (SSA). Accordingly, rescued child labourers are being mainstreamed into the formal education system through STCs operating under SSA.

Further,  Sustainable  Development Goal (SDG) 8.7 stipulates taking immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking, and eliminate the worst forms of child labour in all its forms. In line with this objective, the Government has completely prohibited child labour up to the age of 14 years in all forms  and  prohibited  the  employment  of  adolescents  in  hazardous occupations and processes.

*                                                *****

ANNEXURE  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PART  (a)  TO  (e)  OF  LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 450 FOR 02.02.2026 BY SHRI JAGDAMBIKA PAL, SHRI ANURAG SINGH THAKUR, SHRI CAPTAIN BRIJESH CHOWTA REGARDING  'PLATFORM  FOR  EFFECTIVE  ENFORCEMENT  FOR  NO  CHILD LABOUR'

Number of cases of child labour reported on Platform for Effective Enforcement for No Child Labour (PENCiL) portal since inception, State-wise:

| S. No.   | State / UTs Name            | No. of complaints reported on PENCiL Portal since inception till date   | No. of closed cases since inception till date   |
|----------|-----------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------|
| 1        | Andaman and Nicobar Islands | 0                                                                       | 0                                               |
| 2        | Andhra Pradesh              | 141                                                                     | 108                                             |
| 3        | Assam                       | 63                                                                      | 8                                               |
| 4        | Bihar                       | 391                                                                     | 252                                             |
| 5        | Chandigarh                  | 12                                                                      | 1                                               |
| 6        | Chhattisgarh                | 19                                                                      | 14                                              |
| 7        | Delhi                       | 300                                                                     | 212                                             |
| 8        | Gujarat                     | 103                                                                     | 93                                              |
| 9        | Haryana                     | 154                                                                     | 139                                             |
| 10       | Himachal Pradesh            | 12                                                                      | 2                                               |
| 11       | Jammu and Kashmir           | 35                                                                      | 0                                               |
| 12       | Jharkhand                   | 74                                                                      | 52                                              |
| 13       | Karnataka                   | 159                                                                     | 145                                             |
| 14       | Kerala                      | 14                                                                      | 14                                              |
| 15       | Lakshadweep                 | 0                                                                       | 0                                               |
| 16       | Madhya Pradesh              | 286                                                                     | 267                                             |
| 17       | Maharashtra                 | 242                                                                     | 240                                             |
| 18       | Meghalaya                   | 2                                                                       | 0                                               |
| 19       | Odisha                      | 135                                                                     | 97                                              |
| 20       | Puducherry                  | 9                                                                       | 8                                               |
| 21       | Punjab                      | 116                                                                     | 104                                             |
| 22       | Rajasthan                   | 425                                                                     | 406                                             |
| 23       | Sikkim                      | 0                                                                       | 0                                               |
| 24       | Tamil Nadu                  | 210                                                                     | 206                                             |
| 25       | Telangana                   | 143                                                                     | 110                                             |
| 26       | Tripura                     | 3                                                                       | 2                                               |
| 27       | Uttarakhand                 | 50                                                                      | 41                                              |
| 28       | Uttar Pradesh               | 2066                                                                    | 1964                                            |
|          | Total                       | 5,164                                                                   | 4,485                                           |

*****