Kids offered Rs 50/day to work in factory units

Project director of NCLP schools (Inner Wheel Club),Alka Gupta said: “There is one shawl-making unit and one chocolate-making unit near our school and a number of times,the owners of both units stop our children. They don’t even realise that they are carrying school bags. The factory owners give them Rs 50 a day to work for 5-6 hours instead of studying and even the parents also feel good when their kids bring home Rs 50.”

“A number of times,I visited these factories and have brought the kids back. It is really shocking that the owners are forcing the kids to work instead of studying,” she added.

A total of 150 students,aged 8 to 15,are studying in the Kitchlu Nagar NCLP school. Most of the children had been working as rag pickers or were at tea stalls and street food vendors before coming to NCLP. The president of the Inner Wheel Club,Meera Bajwa said: “We convinced the students and their families to study instead of working on roadside rehris and doing other menial jobs.”

The students study in Government school Kitchlu Nagar building where classes start at 2 pm,while the salary of teachers is paid by the government. “Only yesterday,the club provided the students with school uniform and shoes,” said Bajwa.

On October 23,ADC(D) Dr Rishipal Sidhu had visited the school to appreciate the efforts of the club and assured that from next year onwards,school uniforms would be arranged by them. Talking about the kids being forced to work in nearby factories,Sidhu said: “We will raid such factories and take the severest possible action. This cannot be tolerated at all. It had never been brought to my notice earlier. We are taking good care of these kids in these schools apart from providing meals as well.”

The Inner Wheel Club manages three NCLP schools out of the total 20 operating in Ludhiana. Gupta said that similar problems are being faced by other schools and it is hard for them to make the children stay in school.