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Will Child Labour Propel Make In India?

By Vikram Srivastava

20 November, 2015
Countercurrents.org

When many things happen together at exceptionally fast pace, it becomes unnerving. Reflecting as to what has happened and the directions country is about to take, the last one year has been one such period; as against infamous phase of ‘policy paralysis’ of previous government. In this globalized village, where everything impacts everyone, how can children be left out? The year saw Nobel Peace Prize being conferred for cause of children. However in the buzz of FDI and Smart cities the whole notion of child friendly cities and childhood seems to miss from the government plans.

To put things in perspective lets take a case of Chhattisgarh, children involved in labour and out of school leave us with a disturbing statistics. As per data on child labour based on Employment Unemployment Survey During NSS 66th Round (2009 – 2010), the total number of Child Labour in Chhattisgarh[1] is 11626[2], while as per 2011 Census, Child labour in the age group of 5-14 years in Chhattisgarh[3] is 63884. Another data which reflects situation of children is that of out of school (OOS) in Chhattisgarh[4] as per the survey conducted by HRD, 1,67,072[5] out of 44,59,796 students were out of schools in 2014. About 3.75 per cent children are out of schools in Chhattisgarh, which is higher than the national average of 2.97 per cent, according to the survey. Of the dropouts nearly 70% children belong to the Scheduled tribes community and remaining mostly from scheduled caste and other backward castes.

In this context it’s important to understand the efforts by government and its correlation. Recently the Union Cabinet's approval of a set of amendment in Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986 dilutes the whole concept of childhood, learning and education. The law legalizes and promotes child labour below age of 14 years for family business and occupations, leaving no room for children to play and learning beyond classrooms. The law faults on few more counts including continued ignorance to the ILO Conventions 138 and 182. The proposed amendments doesn’t seem to be curbing child labour instead it a well thought move for reasons other than the Best Interest of Children.

There are parallel programs being proposed within the country and advertised globally. One of the most aggressive push has been to Make in India. The timing matched well with the successful launch of Mangalyaan (MOM) as an indigenous Indian marvel, being globally praised on two counts firstly India to be successful in its first attempt and secondly for its low cost. One feels proud that two-thirds of the MOM parts were made in Indian which drive cost down. Even the policy document of Make in India mentions that one of the Strengths of Indian Manufacturing is the cost of manpower is relatively low as compared to other countries. However no one questions why is it low? It’s simple that we don't follow minimum wage rates. And parties and its affiliate labour unions are concerned for only 9% of organized laborers.

One of the clear outcomes of Make in India will be increase in manufacturing activities and natural growth of Small Scale Industries and Cottage Industries, pushed by outsourcing and subcontracting. To support the micro and small businesses another beautiful programme launched is the Bank MUDRA – Micro Units Development and Refinance Agency with an objective to provide “funding to the unfunded” and would promote entrepreneurship and self employment in the country. The Prime Minister stressed the need to provide finance to micro and small businesses, which have the potential to create 25 crore jobs and launched MUDRA with an initial corpus of 20,000 crore (about US$ 321,386 million) and a credit guarantee fund of 3,000 crore. The Prime Minister while launching the MUDRA, recalled his experience as the chief minister of Gujarat how small efforts helped the environmental friendly cottage kite-making industry grow from Rs 35 crore to Rs 500 crore in Gujarat … 90 per cent of those in the kite-making industry were Muslims,”. What he missed to share was what portion of such kite industry were child labourers?

While all flagship programmes are undoubtedly innovative and carries a vision for the future. The same vision seems to be blurred when it comes to understanding children. We need to understand how the labour market and outsourcing functions. How costs are managed and why children are the best bet for cost cutting. After years of battle and court interventions child labour technically was banned till age of 18 years with positive interpretation of the Juvenile Justice Act. However the push to allow child labour in name of home family business is a regressive step and bound to be grossly misused.

The allowing of child labour within family home occupation seems to be betraying the children at the cost of larger industrial agenda. The parallel policies of government have inter-linkages and will surely bearing on the rights of children, directly or indirectly. The present child labour bill contains provision which allows children to work at home family business. The Make in India agenda inviting global industries to India as a destination of cheap and skilled labour, leading to outsourcing and subcontracting; promoting ancillary small scale and cottage / home industries; which in turn being promoted through Mudra bank, is a classic model. However the real fear is that the chain will simply end with demand for cheap child labour.

The conflict between quality education, child friendly environment and child labour in name of traditional practices and entrepreneurship will continue and with law being loose and allowing; chances of a happy childhood seems bleak. The questions are straight – what should be the role of State and Law when it comes to poor children who are being legally forced to do labour? Will such scenario of part time student and part time labour guarantees a bright future or are we just fooling them? When “Chotus” are still symbol of feudalist aristocracy, any ambiguous law towards child labour and diluting their right to education and other fundamental rights will only push them to poverty.

With State failing to comply with the two Right to Education deadlines of, RTE implementation by April 1, 2013 and quality trained teachers by April 1, 2015; it seems they have alternative plans for them of pushing them back to labour. Children and their rights needs investment in terms of social spending and provisioning for basic facilities and not to be crushed as the base on which the whole edifice of Make in India should be built. Mr. Prime Minister when you keep reminding about the India’s Demographic dividend – the request is not to include child labour within it!

Vikram Srivastava, Advocate and Founder, Independent Thought

[1] 164.100.47.134/intranet/childlabour.pdf

[2] 3669 Male, 7321 Female in Chhttisgarh Rural area and 636 Male in Chhattisgarh Urban Area

[3] labour.gov.in/upload/uploadfiles/.../childlabour/Census-2001%262011.p...

[4] http://indiatoday.intoday.in/education/story/chattisgarh-high-drop-out-rate/1/437149.html

[5] This includes 94,317 children in the 6-13 age groups have never been enrolled in any school and 71,532 children dropped out of school in the same age group

 



 

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