Provincial Minister for Labour & HR Raja Ashfaq Sarwar has said that every member of society would have to play its pivotal role to eliminate the menace of child labour from society. Punjab government has initiated a comprehensive five year plan to combat worst form of child labour in four districts of the province including Jhang, Layyah, Jehlum and Chakwal with total cost of Rs. 180.832 million.
He said that while talking to Project Director Dr. Javed Gill in a meeting here today. Director Child Labor Elimination Programme Muhammad Rehan Nabi and other concerned officers also attended the meeting. Programme Manager of the project to eliminate worst form of Child Labor, Muhammad Rehan Nabi informed the meeting that in 1st phase of the project, Punjab Labor and Human Resource Department is imparting free education to more than 4200 children under the age of 14 years in its 120 non-formal education centers in cooperation with different active NGOs under public private partnership. In 2nd phase of the project the department has launched three months duration literacy course and skill training programme to the students of 14 to 18 years age in 40 Literacy cum Skills Training Centers of these four districts of the province. The department under this programme distributes free of cost tool kits for trained boys and girls according to their training trades so that these young students can earn their own living. Muhammad Rehan further informed that in 3rd phase of the project under Occupational Safety and Health measures 10 ‘Model Work Places’ have been established in these districts where employers, employees, under training students and industrial workers would be made aware of Occupational Safety at their work place through practical demonstrations and video briefings. Minister Labor Raja Ashfaq Sarwar expressed his satisfaction at the pace of work on this project and directed the concerned officers to complete the project at the earliest to meet the vision of Chief Minister Punjab Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif to make the province child labour free.