Child labour: States, UTs told to prevent violation of law

The diktat comes days after over 50 children under the age of 14 were found working in Bhopal-based Som Distilleries and Breweries, a listed company.

In its advisory that ET has seen, the labour ministry has also states to expedite the rescue and rehabilitation of the affected children, ensuring that they receive proper care and access to education as outlined in the standard operating procedures laid down by the government.

Labour is in the concurrent list and state governments are responsible for implementation of the labour law provisions. “The provisions are to be implemented by the state/UT governments, particularly strengthening the monitoring and inspection system at the field level,” the ministry said.

Reiterating the government’s goal of a child labour free India, the labour ministry said states should make use of the online portal PENCIL (Platform For Effective Enforcement for No Child Labour) for complaints and effective implementation and enforcement of the provisions of the Act.

As per the 2011 Census, there are about 10.1 million children aged 5-14 years in India working either as main or marginal workers. However, these numbers are expected to be much lower once the fresh data comes in.