Satyarthi accepts Bihar CM's proposal to study impact of

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Press Trust of India Patna
Last Updated : Jul 29 2016 | 8:42 PM IST
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today made a plea to Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi to conduct a study to assess whether or not the prohibition on liquor has affected people's lives which the 'Bachpan Bachao Andolan' spearhead readily accepted.
Kumar made the request at a function organised by Bihar Legislative Council to felicitate the world-famous child rights activist Satyarthi.
"We know the prohibition has changed the atmosphere completely. The lives of people who quit liquor following the prohibition has improved a lot. But we need a detailed and scientific study on the issue by a neutral organisation," Kumar said.
"People like you (Satyarthi) can take initiative for carrying out study on the issue. The government could have carried out the study but it would be better to get the study conducted by a neutral person," he said.
In his address, Satyarthi, who was accompanied by his wife, agreed to conduct the study.
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Kumar further said in his address that it has been seen that lives of people have changed post prohibition as they are now saving more money which have prevented them from engaging their children as labour but this needs to be studied.
There had been instances of people selling their children due to extreme poverty, the CM said, adding there are women who tell their tales of positive change in the wake of the prohibition.
"There is also a need of documentary film to be made on the stories of such women whose lives have changed positively in wake of the prohibition," Kumar said, adding the documentary would be shown to other people.
The Chief Minister said he had announced a financial help of Rs 25,000 in June for every rescued child labour to be given from Chief Minister's Relief Fund.
"Every rescued child will be given Rs 25,000 from Chief Minister's Relief Fund. The money would directly go to their bank account. The money would be given to all those children who will be registered under the tracking system," Kumar said.
He also inaugurated 'Child Labour Tracking System (CLTS)' in order to keep a track of rescued child labourers for their proper rehabilitation.
Satyarthi, in his address, also praised CM's announcement to give Rs 25,000 to every rescued child and informed he has submitted a list of 10,000 - out of a total of 45,000 rescued children - to the state government.
"I hope the amount of Rs 25,000 would help rescued children in a big way," he said.
Satyarthi observed that it is a matter of great satisfaction that girl children are going to schools in small groups.
"This is good to see as it is a sign of girls' empowerment," he said.
Sharing his experiences, Satyarthi talked about children who were rescued from various parts of the country and said that "freeing children from slavery, bondage, labour gives me immense satisfaction especially when the children meet their mothers."
Legislative Council Chairman Awadhesh Narain Singh, Bihar Legislative Assembly Speaker Vijay Kumar Choudhary, Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, Senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi and a host of MLCs and MLAs were present during the felicitation function at the Council's annexe building.
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First Published: Jul 29 2016 | 8:42 PM IST

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