21.

Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:

1. For many years now the Governments have been promising the eradication of child labour in hazardous industries in India. But the truth is that despite all the rhetoric no Government so far has succeeded in eradicating this evil, nor has any been able to ensure compulsory primary education for every Indian child. Between 60 and 100 million children are still at work instead of going to school, and around 10 million are working in hazardous industries. India has the biggest child population of 380 million in the world; plus the largest number of children who are forced to earn a living.

2. We have many laws that ban child labour in hazardous industries. According to the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act 1986, the employment of children under the age of 14 in hazardous occupations has been strictly banned. But each state has different rules regarding the minimum age of employment. This makes implementation of these laws difficult.

3. Also, there is no ban on child labour in non-hazardous occupations. The act applies to the organized or factory sector and not the unorganized or informal sector where most children find employment as cleaners, servants, porters, waiters among other forms of unskilled work. Thus, child labour continues because the implementation of the existing laws is lax.

4. There are industries, which have a special demand for child labour because of their nimble fingers, high level of concentration and capacity to work hard at abysmally low wages. The carpet industry in U.P. and Kashmir employs children to make hand-knotted carpets. There are 80,000 child workers in Jammu & Kashmir alone. In Kashmir because of the political unrest, children are forced to work while many schools are shut. Industries like gem cutting and polishing pottery and glass want to remain competitive by employing children.

5. The truth is that it is poverty which is pushing children into the brutish labour market. We have 260 million people below the poverty line in India, a large number of them are women. Poor and especially woman-headed families have no option but to push their little ones in this hard life in hostile conditions, with no human or labour rights.

6. There is a lobby which argues that there is nothing wrong with children working as long as the environment for work is conducive to learning new skills but studies have shown that the children are made to do boring, repetitive and tedious jobs and are not taught new skills as they grow older. In these hell-holes like the sweet shops of the old, there is no hope.

7. Children working in hazardous industries are prone to debilitating diseases which can cripple them for life. By sitting in cramped, damp and unhygienic spaces, their limbs become deformed for life. Inside matchstick, fireworks and glass industries they are victims of bronchial diseases and T.B. Their mental and physical development is permanently impaired by long hours of work. Once trapped, they can't get out of this vicious circle of poverty. They remain uneducated and powerless. Finally, in later years, they too are compelled to send their own children to work. Child labour perpetuates its own nightmare.

8. If at all the Government was serious about granting children their rights, an intensive effort ought to have been made to implement the Supreme Court's Directive of 1997 which laid down punitive action against employers of child labour. Only compulsory primary education can eliminate child labour.

9. Surely, if 380 million children are given a better life and elementary education, India's human capital would be greatly enhanced. But that needs, as former President Abdul Kalam says, 'a Second Vision'.

(a)
(i) On which two counts has the Government not succeeded so far in respect of children?

(ii) What makes the implementation of child labour law difficult?

(iii) Why do the industries prefer child labour?

(iv) What are the adverse effects of hazardous industries on children? Give any two.

(v) What does the Supreme Court's Directive of 1997 provide?

(b) Find words from the passage which mean the same as the following:

(i) risky/dangerous (para 1)

(ii) very unfriendly (para 5)

(iii) intended as punishment (para 3)

Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:

There is nothing more frustrating than when you sit down at your table to study with the most sincere of intentions and instead of being able to finish the task at hand, you find your thoughts wandering. However, there are certain techniques that you can use to enhance your concentration. 'Your concentration level depends on a number of factors', says Samuel Ghosh, a social counsellor. 'In order to develop your concentration span, it is necessary to examine various facets of your physical and internal environment', she adds.

To begin with one should attempt to create the physical environment that is conducive to focused thought. Whether it is the radio, TV or your noisy neighbours identify the factors that make it difficult for you to focus. For instance, if you live in a very noisy neighborhood, you could try to plan your study hours in a nearby library.

She disagrees with the notion that people can concentrate or study in an environment with distractions like a loud television, blaring music etc. 'If you are distracted when you are attempting to focus, your attention and retention powers do not work at optimum levels', cautions Ghosh. 'Not more than two of your senses should be activated at the same time', she adds. What that means is that music that sets your feet tapping is not the ideal accompaniment to your books.

Also, do not place your study table or desk in front of a window. 'While there is no cure for a mind that wants to wander, one should try and provide as little stimulus as possible. Looking out of a window when you are trying to concentrate will invariably send your mind on a tangent', says Ghosh.

The second important thing, she says, is to establish goals for oneself instead of setting a general target and then trying to accomplish what you can in a haphazard fashion. It is very important to decide what you have to finish in a given span of time.

The human mind recognizes fixed goals and targets and appreciates schedules more than random thoughts. Once your thoughts and goals are in line, a focused system will follow.
She recommends that you divide your schedule into the study and recreation hours. When you study, choose a mix of subjects that you enjoy and dislike and save the former for the last so that you have something to look forward to. For instance, if you enjoy verbal skill tests more than mathematical problems, then finish Maths first. Not only will you find yourself working harder, you will have a sense of achievement when you wind up.

Try not to sit for more than 40 minutes at a stretch. Take a very short break to make a cup of tea or listen to a song and sit down again. Under no circumstances, should one sit for more than one and a half hours. Short breaks build your concentration and refresh your mind. However, be careful not to overdo the relaxation. It may have undesired effects.
More than anything else, do not get disheartened. Concentration is merely a matter of disciplining the mind. It comes with practice and patience and does not take very long to become a habit for life.

(a) On the basis of your reading of the above passage make notes on it in points only, using abbreviations wherever necessary. Supply a suitable title.

(b) Write a summary of the above in 80 words.

Write a letter to the Dean, D.P, School of Management, Mumbai, requesting him to apprise you of the details such as eligibility criteria, fees, hostel facility, prospects of placement etc. for admission to P.G. Diploma in HRM. You are Ram/Romola of 21 Civil Lines, Bareilly.

Write a letter to the Editor, 'Deccan Times', Bangalore about the inadequate parking facilities in the Commercial Street, M.G. Road, which is causing a lot of inconvenience to the people. Offer your suggestions. You are Anoop/Ritu, 24 Hennus Road, Bangalore.

An increase in the number of vehicles causes pollution and traffic jams. Write an article in 150-200 words for 'The New Indian Express', Delhi, highlighting the urgent need to solve these man-made problems, giving suitable suggestions. You are Madhav / Madhuri.