The Flip and Flop of Child Labour

It was surprising to read that the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has framed guidelines for TV shows involving children after recently the Maharashtra government had sent notices to several production houses for the over-view of the conditions in which child artists work in their shows.

As regards the working of children in serials, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry does not find any fault with children working in serials as long as the parents have no problem and their studies are not hampered. The NCPCR has come up with a list of do’s and don’ts for those TV shows involving children: limited working hours, presence of a counsellor on the sets and little or no make up for the kids.

Here the question arises if a child from a poor family works even as a domestic help, this labour falls under the Child Labour Act. But if we are to compare the two different types of labour, one is not different from the other. In the case of the poor child, he/she works to earn money which can help the economic condition of the family with the consent of their parents. The child working in TV serials also works to earn money; otherwise the parents would have kept their children at home.

As regards the hazards, the children working in the serials work for long hours is missing out a child’s life of play and recreation and toiling hard under the strong heat of the lights and cameras that go on rolling once the shooting starts. The makeup is also harmful for the skin. They may be missing school and the school makes up for the loss of attendance for their student is popularising their institution.

How can the minister say their studies are not hampered? Working in daily soaps they hardly get time to study. And who knows where they will land up in future. As a child they are enjoying the stardom status, but future may not hold such sunny days for them.

Now it is time for the parents to think more about the hazards that are looming over their child and not sit back with a smile that their child has become popular at such a small age.

Here the question that can be raised, if a child from a poor family is earning for the needs of the family, the ministry should not interfere. Instead they should try and find out ways and means where these children can contribute financially to the family and at the same time get enough education for a steady and better future.

Time to Save the Aravalis

The Aravali Hills is one of the oldest mountain ranges in India. This mountain range in Haryana is facing rampant ecological degradation because of illegal mining. In May this year the Supreme Court of India extended the ban on mining over a large area of the Aravali Hills in the Gurgaon, Faridabad and Mewat districts of Haryana. This is keeping in view the serious ecological degradation in this area.

The Supreme Court’s order had banned mining in the areas around Delhi and the Aravalis because of the threat to the ecological balance and pollution. Construction activities have increased in Delhi and surrounding areas for the coming 2010 Commonwealth Games for which demand for stones and other materials has gone up. This has led to more mining in the Aravalis.

Large scale mining has left the state of Haryana with many lakes going dry and the water level depleted. Many famous lakes like the Badkal, Damdama and Dhauj were once prominent tourist spots, but now they have dried up and nobody goes there. The water table has fallen to such a level that a drought-like situation can arise. There has been acute water shortage and the people are the sufferers. With water resources drying up the green belt is, moreover, being converted into virtual deserts.

Time to rethink about the Aravalis, with destruction this mountain range will be read only in books. Stringent steps have to be taken to save the Aravalis from disappearing. With them water table too will go leaving behind a dry land not favourable for habitation.

Many believe due to political patronage from the state and central government, mining in the Aravalis has been going on.

Time to work out to save this mountain range called the Aravalis.

“BETTER LATE THAN NEVER”, isn’t it?