Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Labour Minister Prahlad Patel has sought to know the number of children deprived of parental care and the number of children working as child labourers.
Patel has directed the officials to identify such children so that a centre may be set up to keep them. If someone does not adopt children deprived of parental care, they do not get any facility from the government, he said.
As their caste is not known, such children are deprived of reservation. Nor do they get any other facilities, he said.
The child workers are also facing the same situation, he said, adding that since engaging a child labourer is punishable by law, children work furtively.
The places where they work do not keep any records, the minister said. Patel directed the officials to keep such children at rehabilitation centres.
Those who have become drug addicts should be sent to drug de-addiction centres, he said. According to Patel, the officials have been told to start a pilot project from any place for the welfare of the child labour.
Along with this, the officials have been asked to collect data about the abandoned children so that a policy can also be framed for their welfare, the minister said.
