ABOLITION OF CHILD LABOUR AND BONDED LABOUR belt. A total amount of Rs.20.42 lakhs was actually recovered, whidi includes Rs.5.85 lakhs in the carpet belL The money was credited to the Child Laboiu Rehabilitation and Welfere Fimd created by the Government of Uttar Pradesh with an initial grant of Rs.lOO lakhs. 7.3 The Commission has been monitoring the prosecution of cases under the Child Labour Act in Uttar Pradesh. The rate of disposal (127 per thousand) is still very poor, but the conviction rate (19.02 per cent) has shown some improvement when compared with previous years. The District Magistrates are constantly being reminded of their responsibility to improve the speed and quality of prosecutions. 7.4 A Committee to study all aspects of the child labour situation in the lock industry in Aligarh was constituted by the Commission on 2 August 2000. Shri Chaman Lai, Special Rapporteur, was appointed to serve as Chairman; the Members of the Committee were Shri Madhukar Diwedi, Special Secretary, Labour Department, Government of Uttar Pradesh; Shri B. K. Singh, Deputy Commissioner, Agra; Shri Joseph Gathia, Director, Centre of Concern for Child Labour, Delhi; and Smt. Sadhana Ramachandran, Advocate, Supreme Court. The Committee visited Aligarh to make a detailed study of the subject and gave a comprehensive report to the Commission, which contained a number of important suggestions to deal with the problem. Copies of the report were sent to the Labour Secretary, Government of India and the Chief Secretary, Government of Uttar Pradesh to elicit their comments. 7.5 Three hundred and seventy schools have been sanctioned under the National Child Labour Project for the 11 child labour prone districts of Uttar Pradesh. At present, 346 schools were operational and 19,807 children, withdrawn from work, were being provided Non-Formal Education with benefits of supplementary nutrition, health care and a monthly stipend. The Principal Secretary, Labour has assured the Commission that the remaining 24 schools (23 in Azamgarh and 1 in Khurja) would also start functioning by the end of July 2001. The schools were being run largely by NGOs, whose effectiveness and credibility were being closely monitored. 7.6 The Commission engaged Dr Bhupinder Zutshi of the Himalayan Research and Cultural Foundation to conduct a study on the Impact, Community Response and ,«r Acceptance of Non-Formal Education under the National Child Labour Project in the carpet weaving districts and glass bangles region of Ferozabad in Uttar Pradesh. The report has been made available to the competent authorities; it contains a positive assessment of the impact of the Commission's intervention in the carpet belt. ANNUAL REPORT 2000-2C01 69