Steps on to make Salem district child labour-free: Collector
Staff Reporter
District administration has rescued over 17,500 children so far
TALAVASAL: Concerted efforts are being taken to abolish child labour in the district, Collector N. Mathivanan said here on Saturday.
Farmers honoured
At a function organised to honour the farmers, who are producing hybrid cotton seeds through a private firm, for not employing children in their farms, the Collector said that a total of 292 villages out of 385 had been declared child labour-free so far.
Besides, six town panchayats and two municipalities in the district were also declared child labour-free.
Steps were initiated to make Salem district free from child labour within the end of this year, he added.
He said that the district administration rescued 17,712 children from the clutches of labour so far.
Education
The children were admitted in the mainstream education after their study at the special schools, the Collector said.
It was brought to the notice of the district administration that a few farmers in Attur and Talavasal areas were engaging children in their farms for hybrid seed production, he said.
Stern action
The administration would initiate stern action against those who were found employing children below the age of 14 years, the Collector warned.
He urged the parents to send the children to schools.
The private firm had distributed incentives to the tune of Rs. 30 lakh to 1,134 farmers for not employing children.
Mr. Mathivanan handed over the sum to the farmers.
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