Andaman intensifies campaign against child labour

Port Blair, Dec 07 (UNI) The Andaman and Nicobar Islands Labour Commissioner toured remote villages in North and Middle Andaman to conduct awareness camps to stop child labour.

Explaining the provisions of the Child Labour (Regulation and Prohibition) Act, 1986, the Labour Commissioner told villagers, ''The employment of children below 14 years is prohibited in 15 occupations and 57 processes, including domestic household work, dhabas, tea shops, hotel work, buildings and constructions, workshops and motor transport.'' He warned that any person, employing a child in the prohibited category, was liable for fine upto Rs 20,000 and/or imprisonment upto one year or both.

The team also conducted surprise inspections at Rangat, Mayabunder, Diglipur and other remote villages of North and Middle Andaman and the employers were cautioned against engaging child labour.

The Labour Commissioner had reportedly received large number of complaints regarding engagement of child labour for different kinds of work at various islands.

According to a latest survey by a local NGO, the cases of engaging child labour were increasing in these islands due to large scale influx of people from West Bengal and other southern states of the country.

UNI