Child-and-adult-labour-in-the-export-oriented-garment-and-gem-polishing-industry-of-India

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Child and adult labour in the gem polishing export industry of Jaipur
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violating the law, as the majority (59 %) 175 of the child workers in the gem polishing industry is
in the age group of 12-14 years. But in the 11-point programme, nowhere it was mentioned the
need to step up the enforcement of this Act. Another point of the 11-point programme was that all
commercial establishments would henceforth have to provide educational and health facilities for
children employed by them. The Government wanted enlisting support from the NGO sector to
put this point into action.
Critics 176 placed the following remarks concerning the proposed action plan of the Government
of Rajasthan: [...] Firstly, 'the policies and rules alone cannot handle the deep roots of child
labour. The real challenge will emerge when the State Authority for Elimination of Child Labour
of Rajasthan has to put into effect the action plan and find out a way of dealing with vested
interests'. Though it is not mentioned in the article, but, knowing that the gem polishing industry
in Jaipur is the single largest employer 177 and that the business involves huge amounts of money,
'dealing with vested interests' probably means 'dealing with the big exporters and traders in the
gem polishing industry in Jaipur'. Secondly, 'a holistic approach is needed, which requires the
starting of other related schemes'. Related schemes like, for example, income-generating and poverty
schemes for the parents involved'. Thirdly, 'an attitudinal change among the politicians is
called for'.
(i) Labour Secretary of Ministry of Labour, Mr. Singh
Mr. Singh, the Labour Secretary of The Minister of Labour in Jaipur, said in an interview that 'until
now the Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Act of 1986 was useless, as the rules
according to which the Act can be implemented were never laid down'. The Government of
Rajasthan has now formulated these rules. The income-generating programme which was supposed
to be launched at the same time as the special schools, under the National Child Labour
Policy in 1987, had never come through. Mr. Singh said that this programme was now an important
item on the agenda of the Government of Rajasthan.
At the time of Mr. Singh's visit the survey on child labour in the districts of Jaipur and Udaipur,
which was one point of the 11-point programme, was going on. The Government was planning to
start a big awareness-generating campaign soon. This was going to be worked out together with
by the Government appointed local NGOs.
According to Mr. Singh, the main reasons why parents sent their children to work, were: 1, the
poverty of the parents, and, 2, lack of education with the parents. Therefore, the main priority of
the Government of Rajasthan was to start a huge literacy campaign.
(ii) Deputy Labour Commissioner of Jaipur, Mr. Pareek
An interview was also held with the Deputy Labour Commissioner of Jaipur, Mr. Pareek. He
added to what Mr. Singh, the Labour Secretary, said, that the Government had distributed a sim-
175 A survey for enumeration of Child Labour engaged in the Gem Manufacturing Industry in Jaipur city', conducted by the Department of
Economics & Statistics, Government of Rajasthan (Jaipur, 1988).
176 The Hindu, 2 June, 1995. Ibid.
177 Neera Burra, 1995, Born to Work. Child Labour in India, p. 80.