Campaign against child trafficking, labour begins in Jharkhand's mica mining area

By A Representative
Kailash Satyarthi’s Children’s Foundation (KSCF), an initiative of Nobel Peace Laureate Kailash Satyarthi, has launched a week-long Mass Awareness Rathyatra against child trafficking, child labour and promotion of quality education for children in the mica mining region of Jharkhand.
The Rathyatra will cover over 100 villages in the region and has been jointly organized with Railway Protection Force (RPF), District Child Protection Unit (DCPU) and district police authorities.
Designed for a week-long campaign, the Mass Awareness Rath (chariot) was flagged off by the Koderma district deputy development commissioner Lokesh Mishra, in the presence of JawaharLal, Shimpi Kumari and Ankur Kumar, inspectors in RPF, representatives of Bal Panchayats and police officials. Children of the Vivekanand Academy, Koderma, held a street play to create awareness against child labour during the flagging off event.
The Rath was led by Bal Panchayat members, who were selected from among the Bal Mitra Gram (BMG) around the mica mining region. Around 400 people participated in the flagging off event of the week-long Mass Awareness Rathyatra.
The Rath is scheduled to travel around Koderma for four days and will then cover Giridih for the remaining three days. Pamphlets raising awareness against child labour and child marriage will be distributed, jan-choupals, street plays and public meetings will be organised during the week-long campaign.
Lokesh Mishra said, “From a very long time our district has been a victim of various forms of child exploitation, especially child marriage and child trafficking. However, the initiatives of KSCF & BBA in the direction of awareness generation and leadership building among the children is commendable.”
He added, “This Yatra will be a milestone and I believe that this will gain a very positive response from the masses… We need to work collectively to eliminate all the anti social elements in the society. The district administration extends its support & assistance. I also hope that the awareness generation Yatra will continue even after seven days”.

Bal Panchayat member Sarita Kumari and anti-child marriage brand ambassador Radha Pandey said, “Our aim is to spread awareness against child labour, child marriage and trafficking amongst the public. Rural people are not aware that child marriage also leads to trafficking”.
Jawaharlal said, “We are together in this. Only with collective efforts of administration, police and social organisations can we end the menace of child trafficking and child labour. Earlier RPF was limited to its jurisdiction under the railways, but after joining hands with KSCF, it is happy to extend its jurisdiction, reaching the remotest villages of the state generating mass awareness. This Yatra will only be successful when every citizen joins in”.
Several BMG officials, including Manoj Kumar, Amit Kumar, Chandan, Mintu among other Bal Panchayat members and representatives were present during the event. Also BMG district co-ordinator Surendra Pandit and manager Subir Roy and state co-ordinator of Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA), Shyam Kumar, were present.
BMG is a novel concept conceived by KSCF, in which children don the leadership role to spread awareness amongst the rural population about child labour and to promote quality education for children.
Gobind Khanal, programme manager of BMG, said, “This Rath is intended to travel around Koderma and Giridih for a week covering villages, panchayats, block headquarters, schools and markets. Pamphlets would be distributed at all these places, street plays, night choupals and songs will be organized to spread awareness in these areas”.

Comments

From snowstorms to heatwaves: India’s alarming climate shift in 2025

By Dr. Gurinder Kaur* Climate change is no longer a future concern—it is visibly affecting every country today. Since the beginning of 2025, its effects on India have become starkly evident. These include unseasonal snowfall in hill states, the early onset of heatwaves in southern regions, a shortening spring season, and unusually early and heavy rainfall, among other phenomena.

'Incoherent, dogmatic': Near collapse of international communist movement

By Harsh Thakor* The international communist movement today lacks coherence or organizational unity. Many groups worldwide identify as communist, Marxist-Leninist, or Maoist, but most promote dogmatism, reformism, or capitulation, using revolutionary rhetoric. Some trace their origins to historical betrayals, like Trotsky’s efforts to undermine the Soviet socialist transition or the 1976 coup in China that restored a bourgeoisie under Deng Xiaoping. Others focus on online posturing rather than mass engagement. Small communist organizations exist in places like Turkey, South Asia, and the Philippines, where Maoist-led struggles continue. No international forum unites them, and no entity can forge one.

Priced out of life: The silent crisis in India's healthcare... who pays attention, and who takes responsibility?

By Aysha* Manisha (name changed) has been living with a disease since the birth of her third child—over ten years now—in the New Seemapuri area of North East Delhi. She visited GTB Hospital, where a doctor told her that treatment would cost ₹50,000, as the hospital would charge for the cost of an instrument that needs to be implanted in her body. Several NGOs have visited her home, yet she has received no support for treatment and continues to live with the illness. Manisha is divorced, without access to ration or pension, and lives with her three children by begging outside a temple.

Honouring Birsa Munda requires resisting the loot of natural resources

By Raj Kumar Sinha* The legacy of Dharti Aaba Birsa Munda is inseparable from the struggle to protect indigenous land, identity, and rights. On June 9, as we commemorate Shaheed Diwas (Martyrs’ Day), it is imperative to reflect not only on his life but also on the ongoing injustices faced by tribal communities in the name of “development.”

Vishwamitri river revival? New report urges action on pollution, flood risks, wildlife protection

By A Representative The Vishwamitri Committee, formed by the Gujarat State Human Rights Commission, has submitted two supplementary reports on June 5, 2025, detailing efforts to rejuvenate the Vishwamitri River in Vadodara, considered Gujarat's cultural capital. The reports (click here and here ) respond to directives from a May 26, 2025, GSHRC hearing. Comprising environmentalists, urban planners, and zoologists like Neha Sarwate, Rohit Prajapati, Dr. Ranjitsinh Devkar, Dr. Jitendra Gavali, and Mitesh Panchal, the committee focuses on mitigating pollution, stabilizing riverbanks, managing flood risks, and preserving biodiversity, particularly for crocodiles and turtles.

Sewer deaths 'systemic crimes' rooted in caste-based oppression, economic marginalization

By Sanjeev Kumar* Despite repeated government claims that manual scavenging has been abolished in India, the relentless spate of deaths among sewer and septic tank workers continues to expose a deeply entrenched reality of caste-based discrimination, systemic neglect, and institutional failure. A press release issued by the Dalit Adivasi Shakti Adhikar Manch (DASAM) paints a harrowing picture of hazardous conditions faced by sanitation workers across the country—conditions that routinely lead to fatal outcomes with little to no accountability.

The only professional in Indian horse racing history to win over 1,000 races both as jockey and as trainer

By Harsh Thakor* Pesi Shroff is perhaps the most visible face of Indian horse racing. He seamlessly carried forward the legacy of his cousin Karl Umrigar, who tragically lost his life in an accident. In many ways, Pesi became a symbolic reincarnation of Karl’s aspirations, taking Indian racing to greater heights and establishing records that remain unbroken to this day.

Mumbai jetty project: Is Colaba residential associations' outrage manufactured?

By Gajanan Khergamker When the Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB) filed an affidavit before the Bombay High Court defending its long-planned public jetty project, it did more than just respond to a writ petition by a Colaba Residents Association. It exposed, albeit inadvertently, a far more corrosive phenomenon festering beneath the surface of urban civil life across India—a phenomenon where residential associations, many unregistered and some self-professed custodians of ‘public sentiment,’ conspire to stall governance under the veil of representation.

Victim to cricketing politics, Alvin Kalicharan was a most organized left handed batsman

By Harsh Thakor* On March 21st Alvin Kalicharan celebrates his 75th birthday. Sadly, his exploits have been forgotten or overlooked. Arguably no left handed batsman was technically sounder or more organized than this little man. Kalicharan was classed as a left-handed version of Rohan Kanhai. Possibly no left-handed batsmen to such a degree blend technical perfection with artistry and power.

Search This Blog