Satyarthi urges govt not to tinker with the hazardous activities and industries list
Noble Laureate Kailash Satyarthi has urged the Central Government not to tinker with or prune the Hazardous Activities and Industries List (HAIL). “Tinkering with or pruning the Hazardous Activities and Industries List (HAIL) as already enunciated in Child Labour Act 1986 would defeat the purpose of its Amendment,” Satyarthi said.
The list, he said, shouldn’t be touched as it clearly stipulates the hazardous engagements and processes in which children cannot be employed or engaged,” the Noble Laureate said while addressing the members of PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry under aegis of its Family Welfare Foundation in New Delhi.
According to PTI, he also lauded the provision of imposing a penalty of Rs 50,000 for engaging children below 14 years of age in any venture under the Child Labour Amendment Bill.
He, however, supported the engagement of children by their employer in case their education, general routine including pleasure are not sacrificed. Satyarthi pointed out that children throughout the world are engaged in some form or other in ventures to assist their families that does not lead to their exploitation in particular.
He sought the support of industry, government and civil societies to liberally invest in children’s education to enable India achieve the growth trajectory it intends to scale up.
Satyarthi was also of the view that in the proposed Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Bill the definition of labour and family ought to be defined with clarity to remove the existing ambiguities in the current Act. According to him, in the last 20 years world over, the numbers of children engaged in various industrial activities have fallen to 58 million as against 130 million.
“This indicates the concern of the humanity towards child labour but lot more is required to be done to eliminate child labour,” he stressed. The President, PHD Chamber Alok B Shriram presided over the meeting in which the Nobel Laureate was invited to.
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