Belgaum: Deputy Commissioner Shalini Rajneesh has called upon the officials concerned to make Belgaum a "child labour-free district" by December-end.

She was addressing officials of various departments, including Child Development Programme, Women and Child Development, Social Welfare, Health and Family Welfare, Education, Revenue, Labour, etc., after inaugurating a one-day workshop on child labour, organised for inspectors under Child Labour Law here on Tuesday.

Officials' response

Ms. Rajneesh sought to elicit a promise from the nearly 200 officials attending the meeting to achieve the target of rehabilitating 800 school dropouts by February next year, which would earn Belgaum the tag of a child labour-free district. But, the response was disappointing as no official raised his or her hand.

Yet, a ray of hope came from three officials who were ready to extend the scope of ambitious Sarva Shikshana Abhiyan (SSA) to the needy children. The SSA provides for opening a centre and appoint a teacher for a minimum of three children willing to join the centre. When the Deputy Commissioner wanted to know how many officials were interested in extending the provisions of SSA to school dropouts, response came from only three. There are 76 SSA centres in Chikkodi taluk, 86 in Ramdurg and 29 in Saundatti.

Of the nearly 26 lakh child labour potential identified in the State by the Government, the reports available with the district administration have put the figure of school dropouts in the district at only 800.

"This [800] is not a big figure, neither is it difficult to eliminate the prevalence of child labour; what you need to do is to look at the children who have already been identified — their records are available in the Census report — and extend all the benefits provided under various government schemes and programmes to eliminate the practice of child labour," Dr. Rajneesh said. The best approach the Government can have is to first improve economical condition of the family having child workers so that no family will have a reason to send their children to earn wages.

She said the Government was striving to eliminate child labour.

Action plans should be prepared at taluk levels by involving voluntary organisations and implement them effectively.

She cautioned parents against selling their girl children or young daughters under some guise or the other, and urged them to treat them at par with their male children.

Deputy Director of Public Instruction B.B. Nayak and Deputy Labour Commissioner Nanjundappa spoke.

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