Mangaluru : District In-charge Minister B Ramanath Rai said the district will be declared as child labour-free district by September.

He was speaking after inaugurating World Day Against Child Labour programme organised by the District Legal Services Authority, Labour Department, district administration, Zilla Panchayat and various other government departments at Town Hall in Mangaluru on Sunday.

The minister said the district administration, in association with non-government organisations, has implemented several effective measures to eradicate child labour in the district. Dakshina Kannada, along with Kolar, has been awarded for better implementation of measures in the control of child labour.

The award has been presented at a programme held to mark World Day Against Child Labour at the Banquet Hall of Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru on Sunday, he added.

He said the foremost duty of parents to provide good education to their children. The parents should not engage their children in labour. The money earned by parents and business persons through child labour is equal to poison, he added.

MLC Ivan D’Souza requested the government to construct Karmika Bhavana in the district and provide counselling, rehabilitation and other facilities to child labourers.

Senior Civil Judge and District Legal Services Authority Member Secretary Mallanagowda Patil said officials alone cannot control child labour. The cooperation of the general public is must to put an end to child labour, he said.

Deputy Commissioner A B Ibrahim said the district had achieved zero child labour last year itself. But, it was not declared as child labour-free district as surveys had to be carried out in gram panchayat and urban local bodies, he said and added that the district will be declared as child labour free in three months.

Assistant Commissioner of Labour department G D Nagesh delivered the keynote address.

Karnataka State Children Rights Commission Chairperson Krupa Amar Alva administered the oath of World Day Against Child Labour to the gathering.

School bags were distributed to 20 children of Prajna Counselling Centre on the occasion. Inmates of Prajna Counselling Centre, Netra and Swathi expressed their opinion.

Before the formal programme, a rally was taken out from Hampankatta Circle to Town Hall. Zilla Panchayat CEO P I Srividya flagged-off the rally. A workshop on child labour prevention and control was conducted for Labour Department inspectors after the programme. A discussion was also held.

Zilla Panchayat President Meenakshi Shanthigodu, MLC Ivan D’Souza, Additional SP Vedamurthy, DCP Shantaraju, Children Welfare Committee President Nikesh Shetty, Prajna Counselling Centre Director Prof Hilda Rayappan, DDPI Walter D’Mello, Women and Child Welfare Department Deputy Director Sundar Poojary and Child Line Director Renni D’Souza were present.