INDIACSR News Network
CHANDWA (Jharkhand): Starting with an Awareness Programme on 12 June, series of events are undergoing across villages under Chandwa and Balumath Blocks in order to mark the World Day against Child Labour.
Several children, ladies from villages, local contractors, Representatives of Trade Associations assembled at Conference Hall in Guest house inside the plant premises. Wherein they were made acquainted with the essence of Children as asset of the nation and thus eradication of Child labour becomes indispensable for an inclusive growth of the country.
The event witnessed the Campaign against Child Labour by the school children displaying placards they demanded the attention of villagers, parents and other stakeholders for abolishing the curse in the region if any.
Addressing the gathering during awareness programme Rajeev Goyal, CCM gave a vision to the CSR team to make the area free from Child Labour and a board should be installed depicting that the area is free from Child labour.
Additional Collector, Latehar Durgawati Sinha emphasized on this issue and explained how Administration and Private Players jointly work to remove it from its root. The senior officials from Labour department, Latehar also highlighted the activities for rescue and rehabilitation of child labourers.
Chief Guest Durgawati Sinha, Additional Collector, Latehar, other special guests invited for the program Shakeel Ahsan, Labour Superintendent Latehar, Birendra Singh, Labour Enforcement Officer Latehar, Yusuf Khan, Labour Enforcement officer Balumath, Praveen Kumar Sinha, Chakla Picket In-charge and Devendra Kumar Choubey Professor, P.K Roy College Dhanbad, Villagers from surrounding areas appreciated the information given by Kamrul Aarfee and Richa Gupta in their presentation during awareness programme.
In his excerpts, P.C.Joshi, Sr. General Manger, Project, Abhijeet Group highlighted the various steps taken by the company to eradicate the child labour and said “Latehar being one the poorest districts in country, people in villages have no means of earning and advent of power plant to this place proved to be boon for them.
Almost all families got job at the plant but many families were unable to grab the opportunity because of no male adult in the family and this provoked them to send their children to works with small shops, and other retailers in the market. When this message came to us we organized a conference and subsequent Awareness program at our plant site on June 12, 2011 and invited all stakeholders to participate and understand how to tackle child labour. In view of above everybody sprang into action very fast helped the society to remove child labour.
CSR team identified 1500 families with no means of or less income who were compelled to send their children to work and helped them by arranging job to at least one member in the family irrespective of the gender.
There are many families with more family members and for them we started sewing centres for the females where they get training enable them to start their Tailoring activities from their residence for more income.
Imparting education is the best solution to it and for this we started :
Three schools: We are sponsoring education of more than 600 students.
Ten Coaching Centres: where more than 550 students are being benefited.
Providing help to about 5 different schools enable them to continue giving education else either school would have been closed or students would have left coming to school.
Removing illiteracy of the parents: In order to remove illiteracy of the parents we run NFE centres from village to village so that the parents can learn something enable them to think for the education of their children.
In association with District Administration we are running an orphan school for the destitute children with boarding, lodging and education facilities. At this school more than 100 children are being benefitted.
In view of above, Amrendra Kumar AGM- CSR explained the further steps undergoing as below:
The committee of each village of our project affected areas is empowered and they are to call all the villagers in the morning time where our motivator will visit and persuade them not to send their child on work.
A road show is scheduled at Railway station, Bus station at Chandwa and Balumath.
A competition on certain theme on Child Labour to be organized in various schools making the school children aware of the Child Labour.
Banners to be fixed at several places in different villages.
A “Shapath patra” is being filled up and signed by the villagers, contractors, vendors, shopkeepers, Dhabas and Hotels etc.
A survey is being conducted for finding the child labour thereafter they will be inducted to the schools for education and their parents will be motivated to work for their livelihoods.
