No child labour in Tirupur textile factories: Govt

Top Stories

»	Tariff shock indicates 25bps rate cut, RBI stance may turn ‘accommodative’: Report
»	PM Mudra Yojana Hits ₹32.61 Lakh Cr in Loans to 52 Crore Beneficiaries in 10 Years
»	Sensex, Nifty tank over 4 pc as global trade war fear rises
»	Indian stock market crashes amid US reciprocal tariff fears
»	PM Modi offers UPI link to BIMSTEC nations as booster shot for trade, tourism

Saurabh Gupta | 25 Jun, 2008
There was no child labourers involved in Tirupur region of the Tamil Nadu, S. K. Dev Verman, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Labour & Employment, told SME Times.

He was referring to the recent fallout where British low-priced fashion chain, Primark severed contracts with three suppliers following a expose by BBC.

Primark has axed and cancelled all orders from the three companies, based in Tirupur, for allegedly using child labour to finish clothes sold on the country's high streets, drawing flak from activists who said the move makes the company's ethical claims ring hollow.

The Primark move comes after an investigation by the BBC Panorama team whose findings were broadcast on Monday.

Verman said that he was in Tamil Nadu last week and he talked to the officers of Labour & Employment department there and they confirmed that there was no child labourers in the textile factories of Tirupur.

"These incidents not only affect the corporate image of India, but affects the image of our country too," said Verman.

"We are strongly against child labour and the government is doing lots of work and is implementing policies to wipe out the child labour problem from India," he added.

"Primark should have done a detailed investigation before canceling orders from the three companies based in Tirupur," said Verman.

Verman also said: "Few NGOs are misguiding developed nations over these major issues, just to raise funds from them, which can damage our country's name."

Meanwhile, Rakesh Vaid, Chairman, Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC), has strongly condemned the move of Primark.

"Exporters will have to be very cautious that such incidents are not repeated again. Incidents like these affect our image, the image of the country and erodes the Government of India's initiatives to do away with child labour, if any."

Vaid went on to say that "all the members will now have to be very vigilant and contractors need to employ in-house auditors to check for any child labourers in the factories of their sub-contractors."