1.3 lakh children working as labourers in Guj farms: NGO

Taking cognisance of the matter, an official from the state labour department told PTI on Tuesday that they will send their teams in areas specified by the NGO and take action if any wrongdoing is found. Low prices paid by seed companies to farmers is one of the main reasons why cultivators are employing children instead of adults for cross-pollination work in the fields, Sudhir Katiyar, from the Centre for Labour Research and Action, told reporters here on Monday.

Nearly 1.30 lakh children, mostly tribal, are illegally employed at cottonseed farms in Gujarat, a city-based NGO has claimed. Taking cognizance of the matter, an official from the state labor department told PTI on Tuesday that they will send their teams to areas specified by the NGO and take action if any wrongdoing is found.

Low prices paid by seed companies to farmers is one of the main reasons why cultivators are employing children instead of adults for cross-pollination work in the fields, Sudhir Katiyar, from the Centre for Labour Research and Action, told reporters here on Monday. "According to a study, tribal children are paid just Rs 150 for a day's work, something for which an adult laborer never settles. As many as 1.30 lakh children are engaged as laborers in cottonseed farms," Katiyar claimed.

After the state government's firm action against child labor in such farms in the north Gujarat region around 10 years back, the cottonseed industry has shifted production to tribal farms in Banaskantha, Sabarkantha, Aravalli, Mahisagar, and Chhotaudepur districts, he said. "Though the shift has significantly reduced migration and trafficking of children from south Rajasthan, child labor continues in the cottonseed industry as local tribal children are now engaged as farm laborers," Katiyar said.

To stop this illegal practice, seed companies should consider giving better prices to farmers for cottonseed yield, he said. "We also urge the government to take note of the altered practices in the industry and devise a new strategy to stop child labor," he added.

When contacted, state deputy labor commissioner M C Karia told PTI that they have taken note of the issue raised by Katiyar and action will be taken if needed. "Our department had earlier broken an entire chain of child labor and trafficking in north Gujarat region. We regularly conduct drives to keep a check on this activity," the official said.

"I will send teams in these areas and take action if any wrongdoing is found," he added.