"No Child Labour Campaign" is being carried out in Gautam Buddh Nagar entire September (Representational)
The Gautam Buddh Nagar police on Wednesday rescued 11 minors engaged in child labour at hotels and shops in Noida and Greater Noida, officials said.
The district's labour department has also initiated legal action against the erring hotel and shop owners, a police spokesperson said.
A ''No Child Labour Campaign'' is being carried out in Gautam Buddh Nagar from September 1 till September 30 on the instructions of senior police officer Alok Singh, the official said, adding, Vrinda Shukla, senior police official, (women safety) is supervising the drive.
"As part of the campaign, 11 minors were rescued from various hotels and shops in the district on Wednesday. The labour department is carrying out legal action against the offending hotels and shops," the spokesperson said.
Employing children below 14 years of age is prohibited in India with the law providing for punishment, including jail terms and fines for offenders.
As per Census 2011, of the total child population of 259.6 million in India in the age group (5-14) years, 10.1 million (3.9% of total child population) are working either as "main worker'' or as "marginal worker''.
A central government statement in February 2020 stated that 2,25,733 children have been "rescued from child labour, rehabilitated and mainstreamed to formal education system" since 2015 in the country.