Gurdaspur, September 18
The state government has made a plan to eradicate the problem of child labour, which is being employed in hotels, dhabas, brick kilns, factories and grocery shops in this district. The government has opened a residential school for these children at Sekhwan village, 30 km from here.

The state of the art school houses 80 inmates and is ready to take in more. The government has constructed the school at a cost of 70 lakh with the Gurdaspur district administration chipping in with a grant of Rs 7 lakh for its flooring. After a successful trial run of the school, which also absorbs orphans, was formally inaugurated by Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on September 2. After the ceremony, he exhorted the district administration mandarins “to open more such ventures so that the menace of child labour is permanently finished.” Such schools are also coming up in Tarn Taran, Amritsar, Ferozepur and Ludhiana districts.

The residential school has become a hit among parents of children doing manual labour. It is being run under the Sarv Shikhsa Abhayan (SSA) scheme which pays for the education of the kids. It is affiliated to the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB).

Deputy Commissioner Dr Abhinav Trikha formed several teams of officials, who raided places for engaging kids as labourers, rounded up several of them, spoke to their parents and finally got these children admitted to the school.

“Our job has not been finished. It has just started. We will fight child labour to its logical conclusion. The school is acting as a catalyst in eradicating this menace,” claimed the DC.

The venture is getting support from various quarters. Upma Mahajan, a social activist and principal of Sumitra Devi Arya Senior Secondary School, said, “All labour that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence. However, underprivileged children doing manual labour is a scar on society. More such schools should be opened so that these kids get an opportunity to live life comfortably. By opening the school, the administration has finally taken a step in the right direction.”