MP has more than 10 lakh child labourers

Bhopal, Mar 12 (UNI) Madhya Pradesh has in excess of ten lakh child labourers, state Labour Minister Jagdish Deora informed the Assembly today.

In a written reply to Mr Dhyanendra Singh (BJP), he said, ''as per the 2001 Census, the figure was 10,65,259. The government has freed all 8,826 children employed in hazardous work and is taking several steps for rehabilitating them.'' School Education Minister Narottam Mishra informed Mr Hitendra Singh Solanki (BJP) that contract teachers were not deemed as government servants. ''Such teachers are local bodies' employees and their services are governed through separate rules,'' said Mr Mishra.

Referring to a roughly nine-month-old case of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan textbooks being sold off to a scrap dealer instead of being distributed to poor children in Betul district, he said three teachers and the dealer were arrested and the teachers suspended.

''Anthrax claimed 113 animals in Jabalpur, Narsinghpur, Katni and Dindori districts between January 2005 and January 31, 2007,'' Animal Husbandry Minister Ramakant Tiwari told Mr Umashankar Gupta (BJP).

Higher Education Minister Vijay Shah referred to a case of a degree being issued to a female student in 2006 by the city-based Barkatullah University on the basis of a fake marksheet. ''Notices were issued to three employees for carelessness. In the Dr Hari Singh Gaur University, Sagar, 150 vacancies of professors, readers and lecturers are being filled.'' UNI