Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Labour and Employment Bandaru Dattatreya felicitated Nobel Laureate Kailash Satyarthi at a specially convened event and said that elimination of child labour is an area of great concern for his Ministry.
Speaking at the event on Monday, the Minister recalled the monumental efforts made by Satyarthi for eradication of child labour.
He said that it was a privilege to honour someone who had stood tall and is committed to this noble cause with such zeal and vigour. He said that the compassion, empathy and love shown by Satyarthi for the deprived children and his sacrifices for the cause are laudable and India is proud of his achievements and recognition accorded to him worldwide.
The Minister observed that India is one of the youngest countries, and to reap the benefits of this exceptional demographic dividend, it is necessary to ensure the linkages between education and vocational training. He said that Government is taking a three pronged strategy for eradication of Child Labour.
The Minister informed that The Child Labour (Prohibition and Rehabilitation) Amendment Bill, 2012, before the Parliament, includes, for the first time ever, total prohibition of employment of children below 14 years of age as well as prohibition for aged between 14-18 of employment in hazardous occupations and processes. The amendment also seeks to link the age of prohibition to age under Right to Education Act, 2009.
The Minister expressed satisfaction over the fact that with concerted efforts of Government, the number of working children in Census 2011 had come down to 43 lakh as compared to 125 lakh in Census 2001.
Satyarthi in his address said that the recognition accorded to him is an honour for all those enumerable faceless and identity-less children who were forgotten till date. He said that his honour in fact is recognition to all known and unknown persons and their efforts for the betterment of the society.
Satyarthi recalled his meeting with President Pranab Mukherjee and stated that he has donated his prize money and dedicated his award to the nation for the cause of the deprived children. He recognized efforts of the Ministry to pursue the cause of vulnerable children.
He said that the times of confrontation are now giving way to concerted and collaborative efforts by all the stakeholders. He echoed the vision of the Prime Minister of India and called for making efforts to reap the benefits of exceptional demographic dividend available to us.
