The State with
the highest child labour population in the country is Andhra
Pradesh, which as per 1991 census had 16.61 million working
children. The figures of the 2001 census have not yet been published.
The Ministry
of Labour has been implementing the Scheme of National child
Labour Projects (NCL)s) for the benefit of children withdrawn
from work. The State of Andhra Pradesh has been sanctioned NCLPs
in 22 districts for the benefit of child labour through 1033
special schools/centres. Awareness Generation activities are
being taken up by the National Child Labour Project Society
at the district level against this evil.
Besides the
above, the State Government has, inter-alia, initiated action
for sensitising the community, parents and employers on child
labour, prioritisation of specific areas in each district where
incidence of child labour is high for enforcement of child labour
laws and provisions of various other acts, releasing the child
labour from the work place and rehabilitating them through residential
and non-residential bridge courses under DPEP/SSA.
This information
was given by the Minister of State for Labour Shri Vijay Goel
in reply to a question by Dr. Dasari Narayana Rao in the Rajya
Sabha today.
