Parliament Question: Rehabilitation of rescued children

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 109 TO BE ANSWERED ON 29.01.2026 REHABILITATION OF RESCUED CHILDREN 109. SHRI A. A. RAHIM: Will the Minister of Labour and Employment be pleased to state: (a) the number of children rescued from child labour or exploitation during the last five years, year-wise and the number of rescue operations conducted; (b) the number of prosecutions, FIRs registered and convictions secured under child labour laws during the same period; (c) whether the Ministry has assessed gaps in implementation of the National Child Labour Project (NCLP), including funding shortfalls or declining budgetary allocations; and (d) the steps being taken to strengthen enforcement, provide rehabilitation to rescued children and prevent their return to work? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT (SUSHRI SHOBHA KARANDLAJE) (a) & (b): As per “Crime in India” a publication of National Crime Records Bureau, 772, 476 ,613, 751 and 1390 number of cases were registered during calendar years 2019, 2020,2021,2022 and 2023 respectively under Child and Adolescent Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986 in the country. Furthermore, 88,80,151,181 and 174 cases resulted in convictions during the calendar years 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 respectively. (c): The Ministry of Labour & Employment was implementing National Child Labour Project (NCLP) Scheme for rescue & rehabilitation of child labourers under which the children in the age group of 9-14 years were rescued from work, enrolled in the NCLP Special Training Centres (STCs) and were provided with bridge education etc. before being mainstreamed into formal education system. The scheme was subsumed with Samagara Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), a scheme of the Ministry of Education with effect from 01.04.2021. Contd..2/-:: 2 :: (d): The Government is pursuing multipronged strategy to eliminate child labour and has taken comprehensive measures which include legislative measures, rehabilitation strategy, providing right to free education and general socio-economic development. These include: (i) Enactment of the Child and Adolescent Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Act, 1986. The Act, inter-alia, covers complete prohibition of work or employment of children below 14 years of age in any occupation or process and prohibition of adolescents in the age group of 14 to 18 years in hazardous occupations and processes. The Act provides for strict punishment of employers for violation of its provisions and makes the offences under the Act cognizable. (ii) Framing of the Child and Adolescent Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Rules, 1988. The Rules inter -alia, provide for District Nodal Officer (DNO) and Task Force at district level under chairpersonship of District Magistrate to ensure that the provisions of the Act are properly enforced. (iii) Framing of model State Action Plan enumerating action points to be taken by respective State Governments. *****