Consider the following statements:
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Correct Option (b):
Statement 2 is correct. The Gurupadswamy Committee, constituted in 1979, was a pivotal body formed to address the pervasive issue of child labour in India. It was the first comprehensive committee to study this subject and recommended a prohibition on the employment of children below 14 years of age in hazardous occupations. The committee also emphasized the establishment of special schools for the rehabilitation of child labourers.
Statement 1 is incorrect. The nation-wide scheme of the National Child Labour Projects (NCLP) was launched in 1988 by the Union Ministry of Labour and Employment, not the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. The NCLP scheme aims at the identification, withdrawal, and rehabilitation of child labourers, particularly those engaged in hazardous occupations. It facilitates their enrolment in special training centres where they receive education, vocational training, nutrition, and a stipend.
Option (a) is incorrect because Statement 1 is factually wrong regarding the administering ministry of the NCLP scheme.
Option (c) is incorrect as only Statement 2 is accurate, while Statement 1 is not.
Option (d) is incorrect because Statement 2 correctly identifies the Gurupadswamy Committee's role in addressing child labour.