Judge warns against employing children in agricultural work

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Senior Civil Judge and Member-Secretary of District Legal Services Authority Siddaramappa Kalyanrao says that ensuring compulsory education and bringing all children under 18 into the mainstream must be a top priority. | Photo Credit: FILE PHOTO

The International Labour Organization (ILO), New Delhi, has selected Raichur district for a pilot study on the deployment of children in agriculture under the Child Labour Platform (CLP) initiative.

​Senior Civil Judge and Member-Secretary of District Legal Services Authority Siddaramappa Kalyanrao, inaugurating a workshop in Raichur recently, urged stakeholders to stop employing children in agricultural work.

​Mr. Kalyanrao stated that children in rural areas of the district are frequently being engaged in agricultural labour, jeopardizing their academic future and depriving them of basic education.

He emphasized that ensuring compulsory education and bringing all children under 18 into the mainstream must be a top priority for everyone. He called upon officials across departments to leverage this training programme to eradicate child labour effectively.

Introducing the subject, Labour Officer Arati highlighted that the department regularly conducts awareness campaigns across the district.

She noted that inspectors carry out surprise raids on shops and commercial establishments to rescue child labour and integrate them back into schools.

She further said that eradicating child labour is required active collaboration across all government departments and non-governmental organizations.

National Project Coordinator for the ILO (New Delhi) Ranjit Prakash explained that the Child Labour Platform (CLP) initiative — launched in collaboration with the State government — focuses on assessing child labour within agricultural settings, particularly in cotton and chili farming across Raichur district.

Deputy Director of Public Instruction (DDPI) Mallikarjun, District Child Protection Officer Kumar, Labour Inspector Vijayalakshmi and coordinator Riyaz Patel Varkanalli, the Project Director of the District Child Labour Project, the district and taluk-level officials, labor inspectors, civil society representatives and agricultural employers were present.

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