BANGALORE: Labour Department officials will inspect the houses of Ministers and MLAs to find out whether they employ child labourers, Labour Minister Iqbal Ansari said on Monday.

Speaking at a programme organised in connection with "World Day against Child Labour", he said action would be taken against those who were found guilty of employing children. "We will conduct surprise checks at houses of Ministers and MLAs. We will go by the code of conduct and take action against them," he said and urged people to report cases of child labour to him.

Mr. Ansari said students who were doing well in "bridge schools" would be rewarded. As many as 311 special schools, funded by the Union and State governments, were imparting education to children rescued from workplaces. The State Government was ready to establish more rehabilitation centres for such children, he added.

Mr. Ansari and hundreds of children took a pledge against child labour at the event.

Sanjiv Kumar, National Project Coordinator, Karnataka Child Labour Project, said that globally, there had been a perceptible decrease in child labour in the past four years owing to awareness campaigns launched by activists and governments.

According to the global report, "Follow-up to the International Labour Organisation Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work 2006", the number of child labourers declined by 11 per cent across the globe over the past four years. The number of children working in the hazardous sector went down by 33 per cent. However, the agricultural and animal husbandry sectors engaged a large number of children, Mr. Kumar said.

Labour officials from Magadi and Davangere, and residents' associations including the Asian Games Residential Association, Trinity Woods, Temple Apartments Association, Abhishek Apartment Association and Chitramala Resident Association were presented the "Makkala Mithra" award for their efforts to eliminate child labour.

Mr. Ansari said two people who employed 13 child labourers from Bihar had not been arrested. "We are talking to police officers in Bihar and working on the case."

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