Officials on Monday rescued two children – aged nine and 10 – involved in child labour from the Gudiyatham new bus stand.
7-member team
A seven-member team of officials were on rounds for the “Operation Smile” initiative to trace missing children in Vellore district.
They found two girls belonging to the “narikuravas” community selling beads at the new bus stand, Gudiyatham.
“The children were residents of Gandhi Nagar in Agaramcheri. They said they were selling beads for a month here,” said M. Rajapandian, project director, Child Labour Project-Vellore said.
Officials of the District Child Protection office and a NGO representative were part of the team.
Operation Smile
“Operation Smile initiative to trace missing children is underway in Vellore for nearly a week. We spotted the two children during an inspection under this initiative,” he added. The two girls have been sent to the government home for girls at Thorapadi.
Last year, officials of the project rescued a total of 28 children involved in child labour.
He said the number of child labourers in Vellore has reduced. “We will regularly conduct inspections to keep a check on child labourers. We also ensure that the rescued children get proper schooling,” he added.
