On the occasion of the World Day Against Child Labour today, an NGO working for the cause launched a Rs 50-crore programme for the education of children of workers in cotton-growing belts of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan.
The programme has been unveiled by Save the Children, its partners Breakthrough and Pratham, and IKEA Foundation. It is expected to benefit 7,90,000 children, the NGO said.
It aims to keep children out of the cotton fields and in classrooms where they can learn, play, grow and develop, it said.
The project was launched here by Punjab Finance Minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa and Haryana Health Minister Rao Narender Singh in the presence of Save the Children CEO in India Thomas Chandy.
Dhindsa lauded the efforts of Save the Children and its partner NGOs for their contribution, saying children were prone to exploitation as they could not raise their voice.
Haryana Health Minister Singh said his state was taking steps to educate children and alleviate poverty and added that his government had taken all measures to check child labour.
The NGOs said they will work with panchayat leaders, farmers, teachers, families and state officials in Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan to provide children with quality education, improve teacher training, develop local child protection committees and school management committees and tackle issues like gender-based discrimination, the NGO said.
