Bhubaneswar: According to government data, as many as 328 children working as labourers in various parts of the state were rescued by authorities between 2019 and February 2025. While 85 of them were rescued in 2019-20, the figures were four and 43 in 2020-21 and 2021-22, respectively. Similarly, 107 child labourers were rescued from different parts of the state in 2022-23 and 44 the next year.
During the current financial year up to February 15, the authorities have rescued 45 child labourers from different districts of Odisha. So far, 159 cases have been registered under the Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Act, 1986 against those who engage children in work. Besides, a State Action Plan for Elimination of Child Labour is being implemented in coordination with nine departments.
As per the action plan, the rescue operation is being carried out with the help of other departments at the district level. A training programme is being organised for police officers and district labour officers for strict enforcement of the Child & Adolescent Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Act, 1986. The state government, in support of other stakeholders, also conducts massive awareness campaigns to prohibit child labour in the state, the official said.
This apart, the state has been grappling with underage marriages in the period, according to the data. As many as 8,159 underage marriages have taken place across Odisha from 2019 to February 2025, it said. While Nabarangpur reported the highest of such incidents (1,347), Jharsuguda was at the bottom of the list with 57 cases in the period.
To curb child marriages, the state government has been organising awareness campaigns at panchayat, block and Anganwadi levels every three months. “The child development project officer, panchayat executive officer, and wardens/matrons of residential hostels have been designated as chief marriage prohibition officers,” official sources said.
Similarly, heads of all schools and colleges have been designated as chief marriage information officers, the official said, adding that the Odisha government has been conducting meetings of state-level committees formed under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act every six months.
PNN
