The Hindu

23 children were rescued from workplaces and rehabilitated 

• Rs. 4.6 lakh collected from employers in Udupi for rehabilitation of children
• Dakshina Kannada is second with seven cases, Rs. 1.55 lakh collected as rehabilitation fee

Mangalore, Dec 29: Udupi district stands first in the rescue and rehabilitation of child labour with 23 cases, from January to December this year, in the jurisdiction of Regional Deputy Labour Commissioner range, while Dakshina Kannada comes second with seven cases.

Addressing a press conference here on Thursday December 28, Deputy Labour Commissioner, Hassan range, Jinkallappa said that in Udupi, Rs. 4.6 lakh was collected from employers in 23 cases (at Rs. 20,000 a case) towards rehabilitation of children who had been subjected to work in hazardous workplaces. In Dakshina Kannada, the commissionerate collected Rs. 1.55 lakh from those who employed child labour.

Bank account

All the money collected would go into the bank account and would be used for educating and providing social security to the children rescued.

Jinkallappa said according to the law banning child labour that came into force on October 10, people who have employed children in houses, restaurants, dhabas, motels, tea shops, resorts, spas and other places of entertainment and recreation, should immediately relieve them from work. They should then be admitted in schools.

Statistics

Giving statistics of child labour and rehabilitation in Dakshina Kannada,  Jinkallappa said 121 child labourers were identified in the district, of which 91 had been rehabilitated. Twenty-nine of them had been re-inducted in mainstream schools, while 62 had been admitted in special residential schools.

The commissionerate had filed 39 cases of which 18 were acquitted, he added.