SIALKOT, Dec 9: The International Labour Organization (ILO) has announced a Rs15 million grant for the elimination of child labour from surgical instruments manufacturing industry in Sialkot. This was disclosed by ILO-IPEC’s senior programme officer Saifullah and project manager Binyamin at a meeting presided over by DCO Shafqat Ranjha here on Friday. District government officials were also present on the occasion.

The ILO-IPEC officers said the grant would benefit some 3,000 children through the Non-Formal Education (NFE), literacy, vocational training component and health screening programmes, besides linking their families to the recently-introduced micro credit schemes worth Rs3 million.

They said the ILO-IPEC had planned to purge the export-oriented soccer ball industry from the Worst Forms of Child Labour (WFCL). Under this multi-phased programme, they said around 3,000 children would be withdrawn from this industry.

Speaking on the occasion, the DCO agreed to support the formation of Citizen Community Boards (CCBs) for monitoring child labour and establishing NFE literacy centres.