Those who live on wages of child labour consume poison – Ramanath Rai
Mangaluru: The district administration in association with Zilla Panchayat, Labour Department, Mangalore City Corporation, District Child Labour Project Association, Mangaluru Bar Council and the Child Helpline organized the “Anti-Child Labour System Day and Workshop on Law Awareness” at the Town Hall here, on June 12.
The programme began with the State Anthem. Deputy Commissioner of Labour D G Nagesh welcomed the gathering and delivered the keynote address. The programme was inaugurated by the district minister in-charge B Ramanath Rai by lighting the traditional lamp along with other dignitaries on the dais.
Addressing the gathering, Ramanath Rai said that even though the Child Labour Act is in force, people still make children work as child labourers. A child has the right to pursue education when he/she is young and it is the duty of every parent to send their child to school. But for some reasons, parents are not sending their children to school. Instead, they make them work at a very young age.
He further said that those who appoint a child to work in their firm, house, or any other industry and live on their income are consuming poison and not food. “Even the parents who make their child work and live on their earnings are consuming poison, not food. Every parent should think about their child’s future and have them be educated so that their future is bright and filled with opportunities.”
He also said that in Dakshina Kannada, under the able leadership of Deputy Commissioner A B Ibrahim, many awareness programmes on anti-child labour are being conducted. “On this day, the government is honouring the DC in Bengaluru for his tremendous job in making DK a child labour free district. DK and Raichur are under the process of being announced as child labour free districts. In September, DK will be announced as Child labour free district. We should all join hands in this process to make a child labour free district, state, country and the world,” he added.
Chairperson of State Child Right Protection Commission Dr Kripa Alva administered the oath to make DK Child labour free district. Twenty school bags were distributed to the students of Prajna Counselling Centre by Ramanath Rai. Thereafter, students from Prajna Counselling Centre shared their experience when they were child labourers.
DC A B Ibrahim, ZP CEO Sreevidya, MLC Ivan D’Souza, DCP L&O Shantharaju, Additional SP Vedamurthy, Civil Judge and member secretary of the District Legal Cell Mallana Gowda Patil, President of CWC Nikesh Shetty, Director of Prajna Counselling Centre Hilda Rayappan, Deputy Director of Public Education Department Walter H D’Mello, Sundar Poojary, President of ZP Meenakshi Shanthigodu, President of KCCI Rammohan Pai Maroor and others were also present.