Labour ministry seeks help for child labour ban

The ministry of labour is taking the help of various Central ministries to implement the ban, imposed last year, on child labour in hotels under the Child Labour (prohibition and regulation) Act, 1986.

The core group set up for the purpose, comprising representatives (joint secretaries) from Human Resource Development, Women and Child Development, Rural Development and Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation apart from the labour ministry officials met recently and agreed on a joint approach to tackle the issue.

The labour ministry has requested various departments to earmark some amount of funds in their programmes for the children rehabilitated under the Act and in cases where it cannot be done, has asked them to give preference to such children and their families in the departments' activities and programmes. "We have got a positive response ," an official said.

The labour ministry is expecting to synergise the provisions of the Child Labour (prohibition and regulation) Act with various social sector schemes like Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, Integrated Child Development Scheme, children homes and child helplines under women and child development ministry and National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme under the rural development ministries.

"Our first preference is to abolish child labour by sending the victim back to his family. Under the co-ordinated programmes these children will be given preference in schools and such families who have no proper income will be given preference in job guarantee schemes," the official added.

"In case of orphans they will be rehabilitated in the children homes and will be provided facilities to pursue education and other activities," the official said. The labour ministry is running 250 National Child Labour Projects in child labour endemic districts.