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Showing posts from March, 2017

Chotu, 1 Chai La : A Tragedy Called Child Labour

On a normal day, a guy sitting on a bench of a small tapri frustrated with his annual appraisal or break-up wants another cup of tea so he calls "chotu" 1 aur chai la. The above scenario is not new to many of us and millions of such " chotus " are living near us. We encounter them daily when they bring us tea, provide sutta near college campuses, clean the table at restaurant, iron clothes in hostel, repair punctures etc. but we tend to accept their horrible state very easily. On seeing them work, some people sympathize and some tends to ignore but very few people actually take any step to improve their condition. Did we ever realize why these chotus are here and if we can do anything to improve their conditions? As per the child labour law( Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2016 ) in India, any child of age  less than 14 cannot work in any occupation (hazardous or non-hazardous). The only exceptions are 1)if the work location is a fam