From work to school with a little US help

The feel-good regime has been extended to child labour with the government getting US help to uproot the menace in four states. ‘Indus&...

The feel-good regime has been extended to child labour with the government getting US help to uproot the menace in four states. ‘Indus’ (Indo-US) will supplement the National Child Labour Policy (NCLP) which is being extended to cover 50 more districts.

Quoting the 2001 National Sample Survey that showed the number of child workers down to around 10 million in 1999-2000 from 13.6 million in 1981, Union Labour Minister Sahib Singh Verma yesterday pledged to eliminate child labour by 2007. ILO Director General Juan Somavia echoed his views. ‘‘There is definitely a growing consciousness and the way Indian politicians and the civil society has taken up the issue,’’ he said.

Referring to the social security scheme announced earlier, targetting the unorganised sector, Verma said: ‘‘Only when the parents are sure about their future can they put children to school instead of forcing them to work.’’

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Today’s decision brings 80,000 children more children under the scheme wherein NGOs and district authorities identify child workers and bring them to schools, with a monthly stipend of Rs 100 and mid-day meals.

The first phase has been successful. In the 9th plan period, 2.2 lakh children were inducted into 4,022 special schools and 1.97 lakh children in formal schools.

This will be backed by Indus, which will cover the districts left out by the NCLP. The US will allot Rs 100 crore against the Labour Ministry’s Rs 65 crore and Rs 35 crore from the Human Resources Development Ministry. Indus, to be monitored by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), will cover children employed in stone quarries and handlooms and in making bidis, brassware, leather, glass bangles, locks, fireworks, matches and bricks. The scheme will operate in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu where the problem is acute. ILO is already working in Andhra Pradesh which has the most child labourers in the country.

The target is to enrol 20,000 children between five and eight years in regular schools. Upto 40,000 children between nine and 13 years will be taken in for transitional education while adolescents will get vocational training.

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Maharashtra has taken the lead by selecting Maharashtra Institute of Labour Studies as state resource cell, survey organisation and monitoring agency.

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