SRINAGAR 06 Aug : Jammu and Kashmir has reported zero cases registered under the Child and Adolescent Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986, for five consecutive years from 2020 to 2024, the Union Government informed the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.
In a written reply to an unstarred question, Minister of State for Labour and Employment Shobha Karandlaje said National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data showed no cases registered under the Act in Jammu and Kashmir during the period. Ladakh also reported no cases.
The Minister said the Child and Adolescent Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986 defines a child as a person below 14 years of age and completely prohibits the employment of children in any occupation or process. The law also prohibits the employment of adolescents aged 14 to 18 years in hazardous occupations and processes.
To eradicate child labour, the Centre has issued a State Action Plan and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) outlining measures to be implemented by State and Union Territory governments.
On bonded labour, the Government said the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976 abolished the bonded labour system in the country and defines bonded labour as a system of forced or partly forced labour linked to debt, customary obligations or similar coercive arrangements.
The Ministry is implementing the Central Sector Scheme for Rehabilitation of Bonded Labourers, 2021, under which rescued bonded labourers are provided financial assistance of Rs 1 lakh, Rs 2 lakh or Rs 3 lakh, depending on their category and the level of exploitation. An SOP for identification, rescue of bonded labourers and prosecution of offenders has also been issued to all States and Union Territories.
The Government’s data showed no bonded labourers from Jammu and Kashmir were rehabilitated under the central scheme during the last three financial years or the current financial year up to July 31, 2026.
Nationally, NCRB data recorded 476 child labour cases in 2020, 613 in 2021, 751 in 2022, 1,390 in 2023, and 1,235 in 2024, while rehabilitation of bonded labourers under the central scheme was reported from States including Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
