New Delhi: A total of 30,000 children aged between 6 and 14 in Orissa are still out of school, the state government told the Centre in context of the child labour menace in the state.
G Srinivas, principal secretary of labour and ESI department, revealed this while discussing the issue with the Centre and other development organisations after the launch of the Platform for Effective Enforcement for No Child Labour (PENCIL).
During his discussions, Srinivas said as per records of the Orissa Primary Education Programme Authority (OPEPA), around 30,000 children between 6 and 14 years of age were out of school in 2016-17 while 3,34,416 of the total 84,23,393 kids in the state (between 5-14 years) accounting for 4 pc of the child population are engaged in many forms of child labour in the state.
The secretary also pointed out at the urban-rural divide in matters of child labour. The secretary said 6.74 per cent of total child population (10-14 years) in rural areas are engaged in one form of child labour or another compared to 3.46 per cent in urban areas. The secretary also shared with the Centre the state’s action plan to reduce the menace of child labour.
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