Maneka Gandhi bats for child labour-free goods

The women and child development minister has written to her counterpart in the commerce ministry, Suresh Prabhu, that by demanding products and services that do not engage children the government will set a precedent.

"All procurement through the GeM portal should be made only from such vendors who can certify that their goods and services are free from child labour," the minister wrote in her letter.

Different ministries of central and state governments as well as public sector undertakings purchase their goods from an online portal called GeM or Government e-marketplace.

"If the government starts demanding child labour-free certified goods and services, it will also encourage non- government buyers to demand the same," her letter adds.

The letter has also been shared with the ministries of finance and corporate affairs, labour and consumer affairs as well as Vice-Chairman of NITI Aayog Rajiv Kumar, appealing to them "to create an ecosystem where child labour gets eliminated by utilising the power of consumers".