The Hindu : Front Page : Hostels for children, a major task

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Oct 11, 2006
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Front Page

Hostels for children, a major task

Staff Reporter

BANGALORE: Women and Child Welfare Minister H.K. Kumaraswamy on Tuesday convened a meeting of the Education, Labour and Social Welfare Ministers and the Secretaries to discuss the task of eradicating child labour and rehabilitating children working across the State.

Mr. Kumaraswamy told presspersons that his immediate task was to find suitable hostel facilities to children below the age of 14 years. Non-governmental organisations and religious places such as maths engaged in similar social work would be requested to accommodate them, he added.

The Minister said that around 400 children could be accommodated in about 40 government hostels run by his department in Bangalore. He said his officers would raid hotels, garages and workshops and arrest the owners employing children.

Asked how the State Government was mobilising funds for up rehabilitation of rescued children, Mr. Kumaraswamy said that since the issue of labour was in the concurrent list, the Centre could be asked for special grants. These children could also be brought under "Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan." About orphaned street children, the Minister said that the authorities were finding it difficult to rehabilitate them as they did not know the names of their parents.

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