Taking a serious note of the US notice banning products involving child or forced labour, Union commerce ministry has decided to formulate a counter strategy before the tag is attached to Indian handicraft industry which has exports of over $3.5 billion.

Apart from independent social audit of different sectors by third parties, the ministry is holding a brainstorming this week involving the labour and the women and child development ministries to evolve a mechanism.

"We have fought this battle 10 years ago , but the US government’s public notice of restricting products involving child labour and forced labour needs to be taken seriously," minister of state for commerce Jairam Ramesh said in Srinagar.

"We cannot take this perception lightly and that is why the export promotion councils of carpet, gems, and handicrafts have been asked to meet this week," he added.

The meeting would beat tended by labour minister Oscar Fernandez and women and child development minister Renuka Choudhary.

On October 1, American labour department issued a notice seeking comments on "procedural guidelines" for preparing a public list of products produced by child and forced labour.

The notice, according to minister is a follow up to a US law asking the government to carry out "additional activities to monitor and combat forced labour and child labour in foreign countries."

"I would suggest that different sectors and states should go for independent social audit and rope in third parties to see it on their own," the minister said.

He, however, was very categorical that children working in families as part of the traditional family craft should not be mingled with the child or forced labour.

J&K would require immediate response to the looming crisis especially because reports about use of child labour are rampant.

Mr. Rakesh Joshi

Joshi Enterprise

Manager, Joshi Enterprise
Dispur, India

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