Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government launched a statewide 44-day ‘Child labour-free panchayat’ campaign on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti on Friday.

The campaign commenced with the adoption of a resolution against child labour in Gram Sabhas. It will continue till November 14 (Children’s Day).

On the occasion, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi released a video message appealing to the people to actively participate in the campaign and contribute towards making the state child labour free.

Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of Women & Child Development Pravati Parida, Labour & ESI Minister Ganesh Ram Singkhuntia and Panchayati Raj Minister Rabi Narayan Naik also released video messages, urging citizens and stakeholders to work together to make every gram panchayat in Odisha free from child labour.

The campaign adopts a community-led approach, with the gram panchayat as the primary unit of action. It seeks to mobilise existing grassroots institutions and mechanisms, including Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs), schools and School Management Committees (SMCs), Mission Shakti Self-Help Groups (SHGs), frontline workers and the Labour administration, without creating any parallel structures.

To facilitate coordinated implementation, department-wise instructions have been issued through joint communications involving the Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water Department, Mission Shakti and School & Mass Education Department, with active initiation by the Labour & ESI Department.

The operational framework of the campaign is built around three key strategies. The first focuses on school retention and community sensitisation to prevent school dropouts and address factors that may push children into labour.

The second emphasises multi-departmental joint enforcement drives, standardised rescue protocols and post-rescue rehabilitation measures for children identified in labour. The third focuses on strengthening grassroots mobilisation through PRI functionaries to ensure sustained community participation and ownership.

As part of the campaign, gram panchayats will be encouraged to actively engage communities, identify vulnerable children, promote school attendance and retention, create awareness about the harmful effects of child labour, and facilitate coordinated action wherever instances of child labour are detected.

The campaign also places emphasis on collective responsibility, recognising that eliminating child labour requires sustained participation from families, communities, educational institutions, local governance bodies and government departments.