National Child Labour Project (NCLP) Scheme

National Child Labour Project (NCLP) Scheme

Subject: Government Schemes

Context: In 2020-21, over 58,000 children were rescued across India from work, rehabilitated and mainstreamed under the National Child Labour Project, according to figures tabled in Lok Sabha on Monday by Minister of State for Labour and Employment RameshwarTeli.

Concept:

National Child Labour Project (NCLP) Scheme

• The Ministry of Labour and Employmentis also implementing the National Child Labour Project (NCLP) Scheme since 1988 for rehabilitation of child labourers.
• Under the NCLP, the children in the age group of 9-14 years are rescued / withdrawn from work and enrolled in the NCLP Special Training Centres, where they are provided with bridge education, vocational training, mid-day meal, stipend, health care, etc. before being mainstreamed into formal education system.  The children in the age group of 5-8 years are directly linked to the formal educationsystem through a close coordination with the SarvaShikshaAbhiyan.

To ensure the effective enforcement of the provisions of the Child Labour Act and smooth implementation of NCLP Scheme, a dedicated online portal named PENCIL (Platform for Effective Enforcement for No Child Labour) is developed in order to make the NCLP successful through better monitoring and implementation.  The Portal connects Central Government to State Government(s), District(s), all Project Societies and the general public

Government measures:

• India is committed for eradication of child labour from the country. The Government has amended the Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Act, 1986 and enacted the Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Amendment Act, 2016.
• It provides for complete prohibition of work or employment of children below 14 years of agein any occupation and process and prohibition of adolescents in the age group of 14 to 18 years in hazardous occupations and processes.