NCPCR declares mica mines in Jharkhand 'child labour free'
Jharkhand
5 min read
The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) declared the mica mines of Jharkhand' child labour-free' at an event in Koderma, Jharkhand, on 5 July 2024. Speaking at the function, the NCPCR chairperson Priyank Kanoongo announced that this is the first-ever successful endeavour to cleanse a supply chain of child labour in mica mining.
Working children up to 14 years of age are called child labour in India.
Child Labour in Mica Mines of Jharkhand
Mica is a shimmery, translucent mineral used in various industries, such as cosmetics, electronics, automobiles, and construction. It is abundant in the Koderma and Giridih districts of Jharkhand. Koderma was once called the Mica capital of India, the Abkrah Nagari.
Mica mining was once a booming business in the area and made India the largest exporter of Mica in the world. However, due to the passing of the Forest Conservation Act of 1980, mining was banned in the forest area without the permission of the central government. This has led to the mushrooming of many illegal mining operations in the area. Poor families of the surrounding areas dig the mines to collect mica or dhibra as mica is known in the local language. Poor families often took their children to collect dhibra to earn extra. At one time, around 20,000 children were employed in collecting dhibra.
Child Labour Free Mica
The widespread use of child labour in mica mining led to an initiative from the government in collaboration with civil society to stop the use of child labour in mica mining and rehabilitation of the child labour freed from mining.
A Child labour-free mica initiative was launched 20 years ago with the participation of the state government, district administration, village panchayats, civil society and the central government. The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights was later involved in the initiative after its creation.
Under the campaign, every child labourer who was out of school was identified. The children were removed from mining and enrolled in schools. Care was taken to ensure that the children remained enrolled in school and did not rejoin mining activities.
National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR)
- The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) is a statutory body which was set up under the provisions of the Commission for Protection of Child Rights (CPCR) Act, 2005.
- The NCPCR came into existence in 2007
- The NCPCR comes under the administrative control of the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development.
- The NCPCR was established to safeguard children's rights as provided in the Constitution and other laws of the land.
- The NCPCR also has to ensure the rights of the children as provided by the Right to Education Act, 2009, and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences, POCSO Act 2012.
- Children up to 18 years of age are considered a child by the NCPCR.
- NCPCR consists of one chairperson and 6 members, of which two are women.
Chairperson : Priyank Kanoongo
Production of Mica
- China is the largest producer of Mica in the world.
- India is the eighth-largest producer of Mica in the world.
- India is the largest exporter of Mica in the world, followed by China.
Andhra Pradesh is the largest mica producer in India, followed by Rajasthan.
