National Child Labour Project to be implemented in J-K

Calcutta News.Net
Sunday 30th September, 2007 (ANI)

Kathua (J-K), Sept 30 : Jammu and Kashmir will implement the National Child Labour Project (NCLP) in its three districts to check exploitation of children in the State.

The government has implemented various schemes and programmes for banning child labour and working towards the upliftment of these children.

"To tackle the menace of child labour, the State Government has chosen three districts of the State -- Jammu, Srinagar and Udhampur -- to implement NCLP (National Child Labour Project)," said Bacham Singh, Deputy Labour Commissioner, Jammu.

Soon a special survey will be conducted in these areas and a report will be submitted to the Central Ministry, Singh added.

"In Udhampur, 926 children have been identified as child labourer. We will open 16 schools for them in the district," he said.

Jyoti Setia, the Vice Chairman of the Advisory Board in the Union Labour Ministry said: "The 'Child Labour Project,' is already operational in 250 districts of 21 states. In the 11th Five Year Plan, the Central Government has started the program in 600 districts of 29 states."

According to the last census, over 12 million children below the age of 14 years work in restaurants, fields, factories and private homes across the country.

The government has identified at least 1500 child labourers in Jammu and over 1000 children each in J-K's Kathua and Udhampur districts.

Many of these kids make their living by working at tea stalls, dhabas (road-side eatery), auto-repair shops, carpet-making units and other small factories.

The world's largest child labour elimination programme is being implemented at the grassroots level in India, with primary education targeted for nearly 250 million children.

In 2006, a ban reinforced the 1986 legislations that forbid children from working in high-risk industries such as matchstick making, which exposed them to hazardous fumes and chemicals.

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