National plans and schemes concerning child labour

After significant consultation, the Government of India passed the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Rules, 2017. For the prevention, prohibition, rescue, and check this rehabilitation of child and adolescent workers, the Rules offer a comprehensive and detailed framework. Specific measures have been inserted into the regulations to clarify concerns relating to aid in families, family businesses, and the concept of family with regard to children.

The child is not permitted to work more than five times a day and for a total of no more than three hours without a break during school hours or between the hours of 7 p.m. and 8 a.m. Additionally, it offers protection for artists who have been given permission to work under the Act in terms of working conditions and hours. To guarantee the proper execution and compliance with the Act’s provisions, the regulations include explicit provisions embodying the roles and obligations of enforcement authorities.

Right to Education Act of 2009
In accordance with Article 21A of the Indian Constitution, children in India between the ages of 6 and 14 have the right to free and compulsory education. On August 4, 2009, the Indian Parliament passed the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, also known as the Right to Education Act (RTE).

The main features include:
Free and compulsory education for all Indian children aged six to fourteen;
No child is allowed to be held back, expelled, or forced to pass a test until they’ve finished primary school;
A certificate is given to a child who completes elementary school;
It demands a set student-to-teacher ratio;
It encompasses all of India, excluding Jammu and Kashmir;
It gives economically challenged communities a 25% reservation for class one entrance in all private institutions;
Further, it imposes requirements for educational quality improvement;
The state and the Central Government split the financial burden.

National Child Labour Policy
The action plan for addressing the issue of child labour is included in the National Policy on Child Labour, August 1987. A legislative action plan is what it envisions. As per the policy, general development programmes should be focused on and coordinated to benefit children. In regions with a high concentration of child labour, initiatives should be launched to improve the welfare of working children.

The scheme was launched in 1988 as part of the National Child Labour Policy to rehabilitate child labour. The program aims to use a step-by-step approach, concentrating initially on the rehabilitation of children involved in risky jobs and activities.

In accordance with the scheme, children who are working in dangerous activities or processes must be removed from those jobs or activities and placed in special schools until they can be mainstreamed into the regular educational system. Additionally, it requires the identification of other professions and procedures that are harmful to the health and safety of children.

National Plan of Action for Children, 2005
The National Plan of Action for Children, 2005 pledges to guarantee all children’s rights up to the age of 18. To guarantee that every child may realise his or her innate potential and develop into a healthy and productive citizen, the government should ensure all safeguards and an enabling environment for all children’s survival, growth, development, and protection. This necessitates a relationship with families, communities, the voluntary sector, civil society, and the children themselves, as well as a collective commitment and action from all levels and sectors of government.