Karnataka extends child labour elimination prog

Mysore, Jun 17: Karnataka government has extended the comprehensive child labour elimination programme to 2012 and the government will set up rehabilitation centres for children freed from labour.

State Labour Department sources told sources that efforts were on to bring down the number of child labourers in the state.

As per a recent survey conducted by the Education Department, the number of dropouts in Karnataka had come down to 10.53 lakh from 26 lakh in 1991.

The main aim of the government is to identify children, aged below 14 years, working in both hazardous and non-hazardous sector and rehabilitate them.

The government had approved a grant of Rs six crore per year for implementing the action plan, the sources said.

Under the action plan, special residential schools-cum-rehabilitation centres would be opened in all districts.

The existing 190 special schools would be converted into special residential schools-cum-rehabilitation centres.

The running of these schools would be assigned to the NGOs through the District Deputy Commissioner, who would be incharge of the programme.

The sources said that in total 48,000 to 50,000 children would be rehabilitated during the action plan period of six years.

UNI