Child labour talks a non-tariff barrier: Nath

Commerce Minister Kamal Nath today led an Indian fightback against allegations that domestic suppliers to global apparel chains like GAP employ children.

Terming recent reports to this effect as "false and slanderous", Nath threatened retaliatory action against European Union (EU) member countries where the civic activist groups are based.

"They are creating a non-tariff barrier for Indian goods. This is not acceptable, and our government would be under pressure to retaliate," he said.

Nath was joined in his protests by social activist Swami Agnivesh and the ministry of labour and employment as part of a larger damage-control exercise.

The feeling was also echoed by Finance Minister P Chidambaram. "The rise of protectionist tendencies in some advanced economies worries us. Even as we find tariff barriers are being reduced, we also find new non-tariff barriers being erected," he said.

In fact, Nath has already written to European Union Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson on this issue.

Asserting that major domestic suppliers to GAP have assured the Indian government that they do not use child labour, Nath claimed some Dutch NGOs had morphed pictures of children in their reports.

Agnivesh added: "There are some international NGOs, which along with Chinese companies are involved in maligning the Indian textile sector for grabbing business."

On its part, the labour ministry said: "It is not right to call New Delhi or the country as a capital of child labour. There are reports in the media which say how some organisations are trying to disrupt our export activities by exaggerating the extent of child labour in the country," a ministry official said.

The central government also issued fresh directives to state governments today, including the Delhi government, asking them to take strict action against companies found to be employing child labour.

"We have instructed the concerned states, especially Delhi, to take strict action against any firm employing child labour. According to the 1996 Supreme Court direction on eliminating child labour, we will levy a fine of Rs 20,000 on such units and use it for the rehabilitation of children," Sudha Pillai, secretary, labour and employment, told Business Standard.

According to the 2001 census, India had 2.5 million working children in the age group of 5-14, out of a total child population of 252 million.

Uttar Pradesh had over 1.9 million child labourers, while Andhra Pradesh had 1.36 million. Rajasthan accounted for over 1.26 million child workers, followed by Bihar at 1.1 million and Madhya Pradesh with 1.06 million.

Nath had the last word on the matter when he claimed that some Indian NGOs have told him that "livestock in European countries is being force-fed with subsidised fodder and the meat dumped into countries like India".