21 child labourers rescued in Dakshina Kannada, Kodagu between 2015-2020

Government has not released any amount from the Child Labour Corpus Fund for the rehabilitation and welfare of the rescued child labourers in DK

A total of 16 child labourers were rescued in the Dakshina Kannada district from 2015 to 2020 while five child labourers were rescued during the period in Kodagu district.

According to the available information, rescued children in Dakshina Kannada were handed over to Child Welfare Committee (CWC) and were rehabilitated by enrolling them in mainstream schools. They were provided with midday meals, a kit along with books, hostel facilities and accessories.

The information sought under the RTI by DH revealed that in Dakshina Kannada district, convictions happened in six cases in the past five years. Under the chairmanship of the deputy commissioner, 11 executive and one advisory committee meetings were convened by the Child Labour Rehabilitation Society in Dakshina Kannada.

A total of Rs 1,20,000 Child Labour Corpus Fund has been collected in the DK district since 2015. The government has not released any amount for the rehabilitation and welfare of the rescued child labourers, the information revealed.

In fact, the corpus fund was established for rescued child labourers in the name of deputy commissioners in every district as per Supreme Court’s direction in M C Mehta vs Government of Tamil Nadu case in 1996.

The Deputy Commissioner of each district is the sole signatory of the corpus fund account and on the basis of directions from the Supreme Court, the state government had issued a circular to use the funds for the education, welfare and rehabilitation of the rescued children.

DK Assistant Labour Commissioner in the reply to the information sought under RTI stated that awareness was being carried out in the district through the mobile vehicle ‘Janajagruthi Ratha’ to create awareness against engaging children for work.

Further, surprise visits were carried out at hazardous and non-hazardous units by the section 16 and 17 inspectors appointed under the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, in the district.

In Kodagu

In Kodagu district, all five child labour cases have resulted in a conviction in the past five years. Kodagu district has just Rs one lakh in Child Labour Corpus Fund.

All the five rescued child labourers were handed over to Balaka/Balakiyara Balamandira in Madikeri for rehabilitation, revealed the information sought under RTI.