On the occasion of Bonded Labor Abolition Day, Labor Minister Prahlad Singh Patel said that today is the time to take a pledge that if in the coming year we can say with pride that not a single case of child labor or bonded labor has come to light in the state, then it will be a big achievement. He said that before any policy or action plan, it is necessary to introspect what is the level of sensitivity of the society and administration.

What did Minister Prahlad Singh Patel say on bonded labour?

He said that it has to be decided under what circumstances a person becomes a victim of bonded labour, only then an effective solution is possible. Labor Minister Kushabhau Thackeray was addressing the inaugural session of the workshop based on ‘Abolition of Bonded System’ and ‘New Four Labor Codes’ at the International Convention Center (Minto Hall). As the chief guest in this program, he also released the state level action plan.

Prahlad Singh Patel said that children fall prey to these situations most easily. When a family migrates from one place to another in search of employment, children’s education is disrupted. After leaving studies, they get involved in some work or the other, which later takes the form of child labour. He called this a major reason for child labour.

The Minister stressed that it is extremely important to create a sensitive and active administrative machinery to deal with these problems. Only if the system works from a humanitarian perspective, real help can be provided to the victims.

Need to improve the categories of hazardous and ultra-hazardous factories

He also talked about the need to reform the categories of hazardous and ultra-hazardous factories. He said that child labor should not be defined only on the basis of work, but from the perspective of health, education and overall welfare. Besides, information was also given about the long-term benefits of the four new labor codes. He also said that many times children help in their own family’s shop or business. In such cases, a new approach is needed to understand child labour.

In the workshop, William Hanlon, child protection expert and UNICEF chief in Madhya Pradesh, discussed in detail the action plan to the Child and Adolescent Labor (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986. Labor Secretary Raghuraj Rajendran highlighted the relevance of the programme, while Labor Commissioner Tanvi Hooda presented the outline of the workshop.

During the programme, the State Action Plan, achievements and challenges of 50 years of the Bonded Labor (Abolition) Act, 1976, as well as the new four labor codes namely Wages, Social Security and Industrial Relations Code were discussed through presentations. At the end a discussion was held.

Labor Star Rating Certificate provided

On this occasion, Labor Star Rating Certificates were awarded by the Labor Minister to BPCL Bina Refinery, Inox Air Products Govindpura and HEG Limited Bhopal, the establishments that have done excellent work for the welfare, safety and better compliance of labor laws.