Abhijit Ray, Kolkata:The number of child laborers in the capital Delhi itself is alarming. Same is the case in BJP ruled states like Gujarat, Assam, Karnataka. On the other hand, the number of child laborers in West Bengal is very less. The problem of child labor came up in the statistics given by Union Minister of State for Labor and Employment Rameshwar Teli in Parliament. Significantly, the number of child laborers is decreasing in the state due to the success of various developmental projects of Bengal Trinamool Government including Kanyashree.In response to written questions by Trinamool Congress MPs Deepak Adhikari and Prasoon Banerjee, the Center gave comparative information about child labor in the country. The statistics given by Union Minister Rameshwar Teli in the Lok Sabha shows that the total number of child laborers in the capital Delhi in the three years 2019, 2020 and 2021 is 47. However, the southern state of Telangana is at the top in this regard. In three years, the total number of child laborers has stood at 685.On the other hand, the total number of child laborers in West Bengal is only 12 in three years. Apart from this, the data provided by the Center shows that the number of child laborers is very high in BJP-ruled states. For example, in Assam, this number has reached 186 in three years, in Prime Minister Modi’s state Gujarat, the number has reached 143 in three years, in Karnataka, another BJP-ruled state, the number of child laborers has reached 195 in the last three years.It is to be noted that in an event a few days ago, Soledad Errero, head of India’s child protection in UNICEF, lamented that various countries, including India, had decided to eliminate child labor by the year 2030 for the purpose of sustainable development of the United Nations. But, 16 percent of the world’s child laborers are in India. He also said that despite the problems, West Bengal is fighting in the right direction through projects like Kanyashree, Duare government.
Benefits of Kanyashree project, child labor is less in Bengal than other states, report by Central Goivernment
