Bal Shramik Vidya Yojana
________________________________________________________________________________
This Blog is written by Nikhil Mishra from Central University of South Bihar, Gaya. Edited by Harsh Sonbhadra.
________________________________________________________________________________
INTRODUCTION
Child labour is a multifaceted and controversial issue; it is a problem prevailing for many decades and is a challenge for many developing countries and developed countries. Many countries have enacted various laws and have taken serious steps to eliminate child labour, yet it is still a widespread problem throughout the world. India is not an exception. As per the report, India ranks among the top nations of the world for the employment of child labour. The problem of child labour in India is a very complex and deep-rooted issue. Poverty is the main reason for child labour in India and child labour in India is found in both urban and rural areas. Although many poor families tussle for a better life and this forces the children of these families to do work to surge the family income and become a bread earner of his family. Like other countries of the world, India has laws on child labour to bring reform and end all forms of child labour in the country, but the ground reality is still very different. Several schemes have been launched by governments of different states to educate the child labourers and one of the schemes is recently launched in the state of Uttar Pradesh.
The State Government of Uttar Pradesh on World Day against Child Labour, June 12, launched a scheme for child labourers’ education. The Scheme has been named as “Bal Shramik Vidya Yojana”. The Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath, while launching this scheme on June 12, described the scheme as “unique” for its recognition of the fact that children are pushed into labour force due to family conditions.
IMPORTANCE OF BAL SHRAMIK VIDYA YOJANA
Under the scheme, boys and girls will be provided a certain amount of money per month to meet their family expenses while pursuing their education. The male child will be given ₹1000 monthly whereas ₹1200 monthly will be given to a female child. Children studying in class 8th, 9th, and 10th will be provided with an additional amount of ₹6000 yearly.
In the first phase of the scheme, 2000 children will be benefitted from the 57 districts of the state which are most affected by child labourers. The scheme will then extend to the children who are forcefully pushed in labour force, children whose parents can’t go to work because of certain diseases or disabilities, including orphans and children with families owning no land.
Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath, on the launch of the scheme, said, “The state’s labour department will take the upkeep of their (child labourer’s) family on itself. Labourers are very self-respecting. It is the state’s responsibility to give them a new life.”
CM Adityanath also talked about the eighteen residential schools which are named after Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the former Prime Minister of India. The schools will soon come up in the 18 commissionaires of the state to provide good education and skill development to the children of labourers.
The goal of the scheme is to provide financial assistance to the children to stop them from working as child labourers and make them focus on their studies. The scheme, in its first phase, will be beneficial to 2,000 children from 57 districts of the state. The families of these children will receive the benefits of all the schemes of the state and central government.
ANALYSIS
Education is a key component for making an effective effort to eliminate child labour. There are many interlinked explanations for child labour. No single factor can fully explain its persistence and, in some cases, growth. How different causes, at different levels, interact with each other ultimately determines whether or not an individual child becomes a child labourer. [1]
Children’s participation in the labour force is endlessly varied and infinitely volatile, responding to changing market and social conditions. This context is matched by the flexibility of the large, unprotected, potential child labour force. Poverty and social exclusion, labour mobility, discrimination, and lack of adequate social protection and educational opportunity all come into play in influencing child labour outcomes.
Experience shows that a combination of economic growth, respect for labour standards, universal education, and social protection, together with a better understanding of the needs and rights of children, can bring about a significant reduction in child labour. Child labour is a stubborn problem that, even if overcome in certain places or sectors, will seek out opportunities to reappear in new and often unanticipated ways. The response to the problem must be as versatile and adaptable as child labour itself. There is no simple, quick fix for child labour, nor a universal blueprint for action.
The scheme will be implemented with the help of the Labour Department. The department, together with Panchayats and schools, will identify eligible students for the scheme. Those children whose parents are suffering from an incurable disease will be given preference under this scheme. The scheme will have an e-tracking facility of beneficiaries.
The newly launched scheme is the old scheme with some changes. Under the old scheme, child labourers whose joint schools were provided with cash transfer of ₹8000 and scholarship of ₹100 monthly. It’s just that the name of the scheme and amount given under the scheme has been changed.
COVID-19 AND CHILD LABOUR
COVID-19 crisis has affected millions of jobs and a lot of work. The labourers and daily wage workers are workless now. They are lacking necessary foods, clothes and their livelihood is in very poor condition. Once this crisis is over, people will try to earn as much as they can. According to a study of ILO, as a result of the COVID-19 crisis, millions of children are at risk of being pushed into child labour. Though child labour decreased by 94 million since 2000, that gain is now at risk because of the crisis. COVID-19 may lead to the first rise in child labour after 20 years of progress. [2] Those who are working in the informal economy and migrant workers are most vulnerable to this. As the pandemic wreaks havoc on family incomes, without support, many could resort to child labour. Children who already are child labourers may be forced to work for long hours or under a hazardous situation. It will surely be harmful to their health and safety. Due to more work, girls may also be pushed in the agricultural sector or forced into domestic work.
EDUCATION AND CHILD LABOUR
The pandemic has led to the closure of all schools and studies show that child labour is rising since children are free due to the closing of schools during this pandemic. Now, when classes will restart, it is true that many poor and labourer parents will not be able to send their children to schools because all their savings would already have been gone during the pandemic. The pandemic has drawn a line between rich and poor. Poverty is increasing because of the lack of work and as a result of it, more children are being pushed into the workforce. So when we think of world post-COVID, we and government have to make sure that children and their families have the tools they need to weather similar storms in the future. With this aim, the “Bal Shramik Vidya Yojana” has been launched to provide quality education and to socially protect the poor citizens of the state.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and nation-wide lockdown, approximately 3.2 million migrant workers have returned to the Uttar Pradesh state. Out of 3.2 million, 2.2 million people are dependents which include children and women and they are the ones who are most vulnerable to any crisis. Besides this, minor girls are also at the risk of getting married due to a decline in family income.
CONCLUSION
According to the census of 2011, 10 million children work in risky industries like brick kilns, crackers industry, etc. Out of 10 million, the highest numbers of children are from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan.
The present situation itself is worse in terms of child labour and after the pandemic, it may surely see its worst phase. To eliminate child labour and provide children with good quality education with some economic support, is one of the aims of the government for which scheme like “Bal Shramik Vidya Yojana” is one of the steps taken by the state government of Uttar Pradesh. This scheme will surely help the children of the poor to have education with economic protection by providing them with a certain amount of money monthly.
Thus, the scheme by the state government of Uttar Pradesh is a very appreciable move to eliminate child labour by providing education to the children and protecting them and their families with some monetary help.
REFERENCES
[1] Child labour and education (IPEC) – ILO, available at https://www.ilo.org/ipec/Action/Education/lang–en/index.htm (last visited on June 18, 2020).
[2] Child labour gains since 2000 ‘could be wiped out by COVID’, UN warns, available at https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/06/1066172 (last visited on June 19, 2020).