• Government had initiated the National Child Labour Project (NCLP) Scheme in 1988 to rehabilitate working children in 12 child labour endemic districts of the country.
• It is a central sector scheme.

Objectives:

• This is the major Central Sector Scheme for the rehabilitation of child labour.
• The Scheme seeks to adopt a sequential approach with a focus on rehabilitation of children working in hazardous occupations & processes in the first instance.
• Under the Scheme, the survey of child labour engaged in hazardous occupations & processes has been conducted.
• The identified children are to be withdrawn from these occupations & processes and then put into special schools in order to enable them to be mainstreamed into the formal schooling system.
• Project Societies at the district level are fully funded for opening up of special schools/Rehabilitation Centres for the rehabilitation of child labour.

The special schools/Rehabilitation Centres provide:

• Non-formal/bridge education
• Skilled/vocational training
• Mid-Day Meal
• Stipend of Rs.150/- per child per month.
• Health care facilities through a doctor appointed for a group of 20 schools.

TARGET GROUP:

The scheme focuses on:

• All child workers below the age of 14 years in the identified target area.
• Adolescent workers below the age of 18 years in the target area engaged in hazardous
• occupations / processes2
• Families of Child workers in the identified target area

STRATEGY:

• The overall approach of the project is to create an enabling environment in the target area, where children are motivated and empowered through various measures to enroll in schools and refrain from working, and households are provided with alternatives to improve their income levels.
• NCLPS will be implemented in close coordination with State, District administration and
• Civil society. Elimination of Child Labour is joint responsibility of the Ministry of Labour and
• Employment and the State Governments. Other stakeholders such as District Administrations,
• local communities, civil society groups, NGO‟s, academicians and enforcement agencies have
• an important role to play. The scheme seeks to not only set up the implementation structure but
• also institutionalize monitoring and supervision for effective functioning of the scheme.