Child labour cases fall, minister lists govt steps

New Delhi, July 22

The number of workers in the country in the 5-14 age group is more than 43 lakh, as per the 2011 Census, a decline from more than 57 lakh recorded in the 2001 Census. This information was given by Union Labour Minister Santosh Kumar Gangwar in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha .

The minister said under the Child Labour Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2016, employment of children under the age of 14 was banned. Also, it prohibited employment of adolescents ( 14-18 years ) in hazardous occupations.

The minister said the government had now framed Child Labour ( Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Rules, 2017, which specified the duties and responsibilities of state governments and district authorities to ensure effective implementation of the provisions of the Child Labour Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Act.

The government had devised a standard operating procedure for trainers, practitioners and monitoring agencies. For the National Child Labour Project Scheme, an online portal PENCIL (Platform for Effective Enforcement for No Child Labour) had been developed. States where the scheme had been sanctioned had been instructed to set up state resource centres under the Labour Secretary. — TNS