14,455 child labourers from MP put in schools

INDORE: A total of 14,455 children have been rehabilitated and connected to schools in 10 districts of the state in 2012-13 under the National Child Labour Project (NCLP). This was stated in the report released by Union ministry of labour and employment.
The programme sponsored by the ministry aims to eliminate child labour in hazardous industries, is being run in 17 districts of MP.
According to the report, these children work as child labourers in informal setups (for eg: rag picker or even self-employed) or in occupations and processes listed in Schedule to the Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Act, 1986 or occupations and processes that are harmful to the health of the child. The data further showed that as many as 19,676 children have been mainstreamed in schools.
Briefing on the report, deputy labour commissioner, Indore LP Pathak said that the child labour project aims at connecting children with school education and include all children who are not covered under the Right to Education (RTE) schemes. Under the mainstreaming exercise, children are linked to bridge course and further main-streamed in various public and private school.
A maximum of 5,501 children were mainstreamed in Sagar district, while the highest number of 1,940 children were studying in special NCLP schools in Rewa, only 65 children in Ujjain were mainstreamed.
State labour department had carried out 7,355 inspections across the state during the year 2012-13. In 2011-12, 5,734 inspections were made of which 170 were found to be violators and 170 employers were prosecuted. Pathak said, "Random and continuous inspections are done across the state and there is a team of labour inspectors in all the districts. Fine raised from the offender is deposited to a fund under the district collector, which is used for the welfare of rescued children."