WARANGAL: As many as 615 child labourers were identified as part of Operation Smile-7 in the erstwhile Warangal district. It is an initiative to ensure a secure childhood for children saved from child labour and bonded labour in the northern districts of Telangana state.
As part of Operation Smile-7 conducted in collaboration with the departments of women and child welfare, child protection, cabour, Childline 1098 and police, the child labourers were identified and picked up from bus-stands and railway stations, other public places, construction sites and hazardous industries.
Child welfare officials say the children engaged for begging and works in the erstwhile Warangal district were found to have been brought in from Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and Maharashtra.
Mandala Parashuramulu, chairperson of the district child welfare committee, said, “The Union ministry of labour will set up vocational training centres under the supervision of district collector in each of the district centres for uneducated children in the age group of 15 -18 in Telangana state. These children are given training in the subjects of their choice.”
He said Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao is implementing several welfare schemes with special focus on making Telangana a state free of child labour. “We urge KCR to set up vocational training centres for those in the age-group of 15 and 18 in each district,” he said.
The following are the numbers of child labourers rescued as part of Operation Smile-7:
Warangal Urban: 178
Warangal Rural: 38
Jangaon: 100
Mulugu: 190
Jayashankar Bhupalpally: 58
Mahbubabad: 51
Total: 615
