India’s auto industry is under fire as the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) releases a report highlighting the pervasive use of child labor in garages, automobile workshops, and service stations. The report argues that major automobile manufacturers are equally responsible, as they fail to open adequate service centers and manufacture sufficient spare parts, causing an influx of local mechanic shops and a grey market.
Based on video surveys and interviews with child laborers in cities such as Guwahati, Indore, Meerut, Chennai, and Patna, the report reveals that children working in motor garages earn between Rs 2,000 and Rs 2,500 a month. While it exposes a troubling reality, the report has been criticized for its anecdotal nature and lack of rigorous data and recommendations to help implementing agencies take action.
Kumar Shailabh, co-director of the Haq Centre for Child Rights, called for more evidence-based data and specific recommendations in the report. NCPCR chairperson Priyank Kanoongo explained that the survey aimed to sensitize the industry and encourage adherence to labor standards, ultimately ending child labor.
Despite the alarming findings, the National Child Labour Programme (NCLP), a government initiative to rescue and rehabilitate child laborers, has seen its budget allocation slashed by nearly 40%. Shailabh emphasized the need for transparent data and adequate funding to combat the issue, as well as improved school education to act as a shield against child labor.
Experts identify loopholes in the current law against child labor and call for lead firms to be held accountable for anti-labor practices among service providers and spare part manufacturers. However, the government has yet to respond positively to these demands.
This news is based on online edition of The Telegraph India, written by Basant Kumar Mohanty.
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