New Delhi: The labour ministry will launch an IT platform on August 1 for ensuring effective implementation of amended child labour prohibition law. The platform, named Pencil, will help in monitoring the National Child Labour Project (NCLP) which is for rehabilitation of child and adolescent labour.
The funds for the NCLP are provided by the Centre and the project is administered by district magistrates.
"We will launch the IT platform PENCIL on August 1, 2017. This will facilitate monitoring of the NCLP between the Centre and state governments," Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya told reporters in a press conference on India's ratification of two core ILO conventions related to Child Labour.
Earlier this week, India signed two core International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions 182 (worst forms of child labour) and 138 (Minimum age for employment) in an ILO conference in Geneva.
The ratification of these two core conventions by India would lead to 99 per cent children in the world covered by Convention 182, while coverage of Convention 138 enhanced from approximately 60 per cent to almost 80 per cent of the world?s children population.
The IT platform would integrate all the state governments with the central government for effective coordination and convergence of various measures being taken for compliance of the Child Labour (Prohibition and Prevention) Act.
The enforcement of the Act would be supported by the IT platform with the mechanism for redressal of complaints, child tracking system and monitoring. The NCLP has also been aligned with changes in the Act by the government. It is a rehabilitative scheme for child and adolescent labour.
The coverage of the scheme is being extended to all the districts of the country. The annual expenditure under the scheme for 2016-17 was around Rs 105 crore and budget allocation for the current fiscal is Rs 150 crore. India has inked six out of eight fundamental core conventions of the ILO.
The two fundamental core conventions not signed by India are convention number 87B and 98. ILO Convention 87 deals with freedom of association and right to organise conventions. The 98 deals with right to organise and collective bargaining.
Explaining about this, Labour Secretary M Sathiyavathy said, "We have this permission for industrial workers (for freedom of association and collective bargaining). Government conduct rules do not allow formation of association for government servants."
"We are in discussion with DoPT (Department of Personnel). Once this is resolved, we would be able to ratify these two conventions." The labour minister also told reporters that India had discussion with countries like Iraq and Iran who evinced interest to ink pact with India on skill development and social security.
The minister said that migration from India to Gulf countries is a major issue and therefore India had bilateral discussion with these countries at ILO conference.
