(a) whether the Government proposes to formulate any time bound programme for abolition of
child labour in the country;
(b) if so, the details thereof;
(c) whether the Government has received any financial assistance from the World Bank,
International Labour Organisation and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) for abolition
of child labour; and
(d) if so, the details thereof alongwith the extent to which these financial assistance are
likely to be helpful in achieving the goal?
MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
(SHRI OSCAR FERNANDES)
(a) & (b): The Government does not propose any fixed target date or time bound programme to
abolish Child Labour since this problem emanates from other issues such as poverty and it is not
possible to fix a specific period for its complete abolition. However, the Government is already
implementing the National Child Labour Project Scheme for the elimination of child labour in 250
districts of 20 States of the country. Under the Scheme, children working in identified hazardous
occupations and process are withdrawn from work and put in Special Schools where they are provided
with accelerated education, vocational training, nutrition, stipend and healthcare facilities etc.,
before they are mainstreamed into regular education system.
(c) & (d): The ILO has supported child labour elimination efforts in the country through the
IPEC (International Programme for the Elimination of Child Labour). However, the contribution of
the ILO in terms of financial aid is not very high in comparison to Government of India allocation.
The UNICEF also similarly contributes a very small amount for specific programmes of elimination
of child labour. While these financial inputs have been helpful, it is the Government of India
funding which is the primary source for combating child labour in the country.