ILLONG: Hundred of minors are often seen working in different restaurants and eateries of the city as well as in the deadly coal mines in the State but the State Government is yet to arrange or obtain specific data on the number of child labourers in the State.
Taking note of this fact, the Labour Department has started a survey to find out how many children are working in the coal mines. The survey, which is already underway, is expected to be over by September this year.
Speaking to media persons on Tuesday, Labour Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh said that the Government would get a clear picture on the child labourer scenario once the survey is completed. As per an independent survey by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai, as many as 343 cases of child labour was detected in ten villages of the State.
Lyngdoh, however, pointed out that the report was rejected by the Union Government since it lacked certain clarity.
According to Lyngdoh, the department has already issued warning to the coal mines not to engage any child labourer, but minor children often follow their parents to the mines.
Stating that the Labour department is on alert to ensure no minor child is employed in food joints and other work places, Lyngdoh, however, referred to the question of their survival.
Last year, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) had slammed the State Government for failing to prevent employment of child labourers in the State, especially in the coal belt areas.
