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The Union Cabinet has approved the amendment to Child Labour Act which proposes a complete ban on employment of children up to the age of 14 in any industry. Any violation will be a cognizable offence, punishable with a maximum three years imprisonment or fine up to a maximum of Rs. 50,000. The amendment also proposes a blanket ban on employing children below 18 years in hazardous industries like mining. The amendment will also fulfill the mandate of Right to Education for free and compulsory education for children in the age group of 6-15 years. According to Census 2001, there were 12.6 million economically active children in the age-group of 5-14 years while the National Sample Survey data said the child workforce during 2004-05 was estimated at 9.07 million.

Cabinet nod for complete ban on child labour below 14 yrs