HYDERABAD, June 12: A rally to mark the child labour day was organised by the district government, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the National Rural Support Programme on Tuesday. It commenced from the Hyderabad Gymkhana and culminated at the press club.

The rally was led by MPA Naeem Ishtiaque, the ILO-NRSP representative, taluka nazims of Hyderabad and Latifabad, the EDOs and the DOs of various departments.

MPA Naeem Ishtiaque hoped of resolving problems of working children with the help of district government and philanthropists as they wanted to eliminate child labour menace not only from bangle industry but other factories also. He urged parents to send their children to schools instead of to factories.

Ali Nawaz Nizamani asked the Sindh and district governments to take over health and education projects of the ILO and the NRSP. “These organisations had undertaken the task of training and educating 4,550 children to which they’ve sought guidance of the district government,” he added.

The EDO Community Development Shafaat Unnar said the government had taken up the issue of child labour seriously and was making efforts to resolve it.

He said in furtherance of this objective, the district government Hyderabad had appointed a coordination committee, also.

The EDO Education Anwar Siddiqui said rooms in each school had been reserved for the education of working children in their free time.

He said about 50 government teachers were being provided special training to understand the problems of working children.

HECO: The CEO Hesco Maqbool Ahmed Khwaja, on Tuesday, awarded commendatory certificates to 11 officers and five technical employees and cash awards to 36 employees on their performance during heavy rains in September 2006.