LAHORE: Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Thursday formed a steering committee to eradicate forced child labour across the province.

According to a notification, a 15-member committee led by Senior Provincial Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb will map all sectors across Punjab to identify industries or areas where forced child labour is prevalent.

“Special data will be collected from industrial units, brick kilns, agriculture, fisheries, workshops and auto-repair sectors. A province-level central data bank integrated with AI and GIS technologies will also be established,” says a handout.

The committee will determine priority districts, sectors and hotspots where child labour exists. It will propose alternatives for children currently subjected to forced labour.

It will formulate immediate, medium-term and long-term strategies to eliminate forced child labour and prepare implementation mechanisms for these strategies.

Meanwhile, the chief minister chaired a meeting to review progress and future reforms under Suthra Punjab programme.

She approved a plan to modernise the provincial sanitation system under Suthra Punjab programme.

Published in Dawn, December 5th, 2025