Date:28/11/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/11/28/stories/2006112803060300.htm

Tamil Nadu - Others

High-level team visits special schools in Virudhunagar

Special Correspondent

To review schemes implemented under the Indo-US Child Labour Project

VIRUDHUNAGAR : A high-level team, comprising officials from the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and United States Department of Labour arrived here on Monday to review the schemes implemented under the Indo-US Child Labour Project (INDUS).

Virudhunagar is one among the five districts in Tamil Nadu where INDUS is being implemented.

The team, comprising Charita L. Castro, International Relations Officer, US Department of Labour; Simrin C. Singh, Senior Programme Officer, International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour; K. Gayathri of ILO, Atul Keshap and A. Sukesh of the US Embassy, visited the transitional education centres (special schools) run under INDUS at Sivakasi Anayur and interacted with children and their parents.

Earlier, at a meeting of the team with officials, the Collector, S. S. Jawahar, said that due to sustained efforts of the Government and non-governmental organisations the number of child workers in the district had been brought down to around 1500 now, from 40,423 in 1994.

Children, who were put into mainstream schools from TECs after rehabilitation, had performed well in examinations.

Self-help groups of mothers of retrieved children had been formed with the objective of overcoming poverty and increasing income.

A sum of Rs 9.23 lakh had been sanctioned as loan for 63 such SHGs, along with a subsidy of Rs 3.36 lakh, to benefit 196 families.

The team members also interacted with representatives of NGOs, panchayat presidents, village education committee members, children and parents.

They witnessed a cultural programme presented by TEC children at Palavanatham and also affixed their signatures on the one-km white cloth used in a signature campaign against child labour.