CHENNAI : The Tamil Nadu Government has initiated several measures to eradicate child labour, Labour Minister T.M. Anbarasan said in the Assembly on Saturday. A road map for declaring certain districts "child labour free" had been drawn and a time frame fixed for each district. .

Participating in a discussion on demands of the Labour Department, the Minister said ten Collectors had so far sent proposals to declare their districts "child labour free."

District-level squads and committees had been formed under the chairmanship of District Collectors to eradicate child labour in hazardous occupations. Under the Indus Project, jointly funded by the Central Government and the Labour Department of the U.S., children in hazardous occupations were being identified and admitted to formal / special schools to impart vocational training. So far, 8600 such children had been admitted to various transitional educational centres.

At present, students of special schools in Tuticorin, Tirunelveli, Coimbatore, Dharmapuri, and Virudhunagar were given free bus passes. The scheme would be extended to all special schools in 17 districts where the national child labour project was implemented. The Minister said ITIs in Guindy (women), Vellore, Madurai and Tiruneveli would be made centres of excellence this year.

The thrust of the programme was on providing appropriate infrastructure, equipment and up-to-date syllabi and introducing new trades in the institutes.

Maternity assistance

The Government had decided to form separate welfare boards for autorickshaw and taxi drivers, tailors, hairdressers, washermen, palm tree workers, handicraft workers, handlooms and silk weavers, foot weavers and leather goods workers, artists and goldsmiths. Maternity assistance to women members of Construction Welfare Board and Manual Workers Social Security and Welfare Board would be enhanced to Rs 6000 from Rs 4000.

Siddha wing would be opened in the Employees State Insurance hospitals in Salem, Vellore and Maduai and a yoga wing in Ayanavaram ESI with the assistance of the ESI Corporation.

Unemployed persons who had failed to renew their registrations during 2004 and 2005 were allowed to do so till September 1.

Now the concession would be extended up to October 3, the Minister said.

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