In a bid to root out child labour from the State, labour, Employment and Training Department will hold anti-child labour fortnight from August 1 to 15. During the Department’s review meeting, Chief Secretary Rajbala Verma directed all district labour officers to initiate a special drive and take legal action against the institutions found employing child labour.
Verma added that the officials can take help from media and collect also information through Whatsapp.
The CS also directed a special drive at crushers in Dumka, Pakur and Sahebganj to free any children working there. At the same time, expressing concern over the migration of girls in Khunti, Gumla and Simdega, she directed the officials to prepare a database of girl children in every village of these districts.
Earlier today, labour Commissioner Praveen Toppo, while talking to the media persons at Soochna Bhawan in Ranchi stated that the Department will start a campaign to ensure that these children are brought back to schools from their workplaces.
“Since child labour is one of our focus areas, we are determined to free the children from labour. August 1 to 15 will be observed as anti-child labour fort night in Jharkhand,” said Toppo. Besides that, we are also focusing on labour reforms along with labour welfare, where several schemes have been started for the welfare of the labourers, he said.
“Registration of unorganised labour has been recently started in the state where 11 schemes have also been launched which will be started very soon,” Toppo added.Principal Secretary, Employment and Training, SKG Rahate also informed that registration of 5,25,000 unorganised labourers has been started under 22 schemes in the state. “The workers can avail the benefits of these schemes after getting themselves registered with the State Government,” Rahate said.
Under these schemes, 11,737 labourers have been provided bicycles, 29,431 have been given machine tools while 6163 have been helped with sewing machines.
Explaining achievements in the field of employment, Rahate said that there are 5.5 lakh registered unemployed youths in 43 employment Exchanges across the state out of which 1,16,000 unemployed youths have been provided employment by organising recruitment camps and employment fairs across the State.
“We try to organize employment fairs and recruitment camps in all districts across the state and provide more and more employment to the unemployment youths,” he said.