NEW DELHI: Though the number of children being rescued from child labour has gone up over the past three years, the number of children being sent to Special Training Centres (STCs) for rehabilitation has reduced by almost one-third, according to data from the labour ministry.
While the number of children in STCs in 2016-17 was 43,109, the number rose to 46,370 the following year. However, in 2018-19, the number drastically fell to 15,027.
Officials claim that the falling number is a good sign. “It is a sign that the number of children forced into child labour has reduced and also a sign that our efforts are paying off,” a ministry official said.
Tamil Nadu has the highest number of children in STCs with 2,675, followed by West Bengal (2,620) and Maharashtra (2,577).
The three states with least children in STCs are Assam (50), Haryana (86) and Nagaland (325). Jammu and Kashmir and Odisha are the two states which do not have any children in STCs.
With regard to number of children rescued, West Bengal leads the charts with 22,114 followed by Madhya Pradesh (21,387) and Uttar Pradesh (7,374). Rajasthan and Bihar are the two states which have not rescued any children in 2018-19.
