From Our Special Correspondent
New Delhi: Deputy Chief Minister in charge of Labour, Rowell Lyngdoh, on Friday said there is no large scale presence of child labourers in the coal mines of Jaintia Hills district of the State as mentioned in some media reports earlier.
“There are cases when children voluntarily accompany their parents to the coal mines and at times extend a helping hand. But you cannot brand these children as child labourers,” the Deputy Chief Minister told The Shillong Times before leaving for Shillong, while adding that he had raised the matter at the State Labour Ministers’ Conference in the national conference on Thursday.
Following reports from the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) and others, the State Labour department had ordered a survey to ascertain the facts.
“The Government team did not spot any large scale presence of child labourers in the coal mines,” Lyngdoh said while referring to the findings of the survey.