Question : TRAINING CENTRES FOR RESCUED CHILD LABOURERS

(a) whether the Government has identified the areas of high concentration of child labour in the country and if so, the details thereof, State/UT-wise;

(b) whether the Government has any proposal to provide compulsory education and training to all working children upto 14 years of age and if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;

(c) whether the Government is running any project for educating and imparting vocational and produ- ction related training to the rescued child labou- rers and if so, the number of such training centres in the country, State/UT-wise;

(d) the details of strategies formulated and facilities provided in such training centres; and

(e) the number of child labourers benefited through the said programmes during the last three years and the current year, State/UT-wise?

MINISTER OF STATE (IC) FOR LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT (SHRI BANDARU DATTATREYA)

(a): Under the National Child Labour Project (NCLP) Scheme surveys are conducted by Project Societies at district level to identify the areas of high concentration of child labour in the country. The details giving districts in which NCLP Special Training Centres are sanctioned is at Annexure-I.

(b): A Bill to amend the Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Act, 1986 has been introduced in Rajya Sabha in 2012 whereby employment of children below 14 years is completely prohibited and age of prohibition of employment is linked to age under Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009.

(c) to (e): Under the National Child Labour Project (NCLP) Scheme, rehabilitation of child labour working in certain occupations and processes is carried out by enrolling children rescued/withdrawn from work in the NCLP Special Training Centres which have the provisions of bridge education, vocational training, midday meal, stipend, health care, etc. before being mainstreamed into formal education system. The NCLP Projects for rehabilitation of children are sanctioned across 270 districts in 21 States of the country and the details giving total number of children mainstreamed under NCLP Scheme during the last three years and current year is at Annexure-II.