UP government launches state-wide campaign to eradicate child labour by 2027

Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh government has launched a comprehensive state-wide campaign aimed at eradicating child labour by 2027, an official statement said on Monday.

The multi-pronged approach focuses on awareness, education and rehabilitation to ensure that every child in the state is given opportunities for growth, learning and a dignified future instead of being forced into labour.

Special awareness programs are scheduled for June 12, coinciding with the World Day Against Child Labour, to further strengthen the campaign, the statement said.

It said the campaign will be intensified through coordinated efforts across various departments of the government.

According to the statement, 10,336 child labourers have been identified so far because of the state government's initiatives. Between 2017-18 and 2024-25, as many as 12,426 child labourers have been rehabilitated educationally, enabling them to return to school and start afresh.

Additionally, the government has supported the families of these children, giving economic assistance to 1,089 families to prevent them from forcing their children into work.

Under the 'Bal Shramik Vidya Yojana', 2,000 working children have been enrolled in schools and given financial aid to ensure that their education is uninterrupted. The scheme not only promotes education, but also works to transform social attitudes towards child labour, it said.

The government has also taken a firm stance against bonded labour. A total of 1,408 bonded labourers, between 2018-19 and 2014-25, have been rehabilitated and are receiving financial assistance amounting to Rs 18.17 crore, it added.

The initiative is an important step towards enabling these persons to lead independent and dignified lives.

Currently, eight welfare schemes are being implemented through the Labour Welfare Council for workers in the organised sector. The state government has allocated a corpus fund of Rs 40 crore to support these programs.

In the current financial year of 2024-25 alone, relief amounting to Rs 1.32 crore has been provided to 309 workers, the statement further said.

It said that guided by Adityanath's vision of the greatest investment of all is that in children, the government is committed to steer every child in the state toward education, security, and dignity by eradicating child labour.