Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav on Friday, 12 June 2026, called for a society free of child labour, marking the World Day Against Child Labour with a pledge to place pens and books — not burdens — in every child's hands. The BJP leader reaffirmed that his government is continuously working for children's welfare and education.

In his post, Dr. Yadav wrote: 'बच्चों के माथे पर बोझ अच्छा नहीं लगता है' ['A burden on a child's forehead does not look right'], adding that a happy childhood and education are children's rights. He urged citizens to resolve, on this observance, to build a child-labour-free society.

Context

The World Day Against Child Labour, observed every year on 12 June, was established by the International Labour Organization (ILO) to spotlight global and national efforts to eliminate child labour. The day serves as a platform for governments, civil society, and citizens to renew commitments toward protecting children from exploitation. Dr. Yadav's post aligns with this annual cycle of public reaffirmation by state leaders across India.

Policy Backdrop

India has built a layered legal framework against child labour. The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2016, banned employment of children below 14 years in all occupations. The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, guarantees free schooling for children aged 6 to 14, creating an entitlement that directly counters the conditions that push children into work.

At the national level, the National Child Labour Project Scheme, operational since 1988, provides rehabilitation and mainstreaming into formal education for children rescued from labour. India also ratified ILO Convention 182 on the worst forms of child labour in 2017, signalling an international commitment that state-level actions are expected to reinforce. Dr. Yadav's statement situates Madhya Pradesh within this broader constitutional and statutory framework, which includes Article 24 of the Indian Constitution prohibiting child labour in factories and hazardous occupations.

Stakeholders and Impact

The primary stakeholders are school-age children and working children in Madhya Pradesh's informal sector — agriculture, domestic work, and small-scale industries — where enforcement gaps have historically persisted. Families in economically vulnerable communities, who depend on supplementary income from children, are also directly affected by both enforcement drives and welfare-linkage programmes.

Effective implementation of education and rehabilitation schemes determines whether public pledges translate into measurable reductions in child labour. Civil society organisations and district-level administration in Madhya Pradesh are key intermediaries in turning state commitments into ground-level action for enrolled and out-of-school children alike.

What's Next

Attention will now turn to whether the Madhya Pradesh government follows the Chief Minister's statement with concrete programme announcements — such as expanded school enrolment drives, labour inspections in high-risk sectors, or updated rehabilitation targets under existing central schemes. The release of the next state-level child labour survey data will provide a measurable benchmark against which these commitments can be assessed. Progress on SDG 8.7 — which calls for ending all forms of child labour by 2025 — remains a yardstick for evaluating India's collective performance, with state governments playing a decisive role in closing the last-mile gap.