Child labour a Herculean task for UP govt

Moradabad, Jan 5 (UNI) Following a dearth of authentic surveys, garnering the actual figure of child labourers in Moradabad district of Uttar Pradesh has become a Herculean task for the state government.

According to a recent survey conducted by the Labour Department with the cooperation of an NGO, almost 4,500 child labourers were identified in the Moradabad division.

However, only 202 labourers were identified in the mid November survey on the instructions of the UP government.

Jyotiba Phule Nagar, Moradabad, Rampur and Bijnaur districts fall under the Moradabad division.

Notwithstanding burning the midnight oil and leaving no stone unturned in the Moradabad brass industry, thousands of child labourers are subject to continuous harrying by their employers.

Their active participation can be witnessed in the serpentile alleys of Moradabad district and Amroha and Naugava Sadat localities of Jyotiba Phule Nagar, where several such children work round the clock in the brass and tobacco industries to earn a livelihood.

Although 90 Child Labour Welfare Centres were established in several areas here, this arrangement has also become a victim of the labyrinthine official formalities, sources said.

UNI XC-ATI PDM PB AS1455