PENCIL Portal [UPSC Notes]

PENCIL is an electronic platform developed by the Ministry of Labour and Employment for effective enforcement of no child labour policy. It was launched in 2017. In this article, you can read all about the PENCIL Portal for the IAS exam.

What is PENCIL Portal?

PENCIL stands for Platform for Effective Enforcement for No Child Labour. It is an efficient enforcement mechanism contributing towards the ultimate goal of a “child labour free society”. It facilitates the uploading and sharing of awareness generation activities. National Informatics Centre (NIC) designed, developed and hosts the PENCIL portal. It can be accessed at https://pencil.gov.in/.

What are the Components of PENCIL Portal?

All the components of the portal are connected to the Central government so that it can monitor the progress of the National Child Labour Project (NCLP). The five components are:

1. Complaint Corner
2. Convergence
3. National Child Labour Project (NCLP)
4. Child Tracking System
5. State Government

Complaint Corner:

• This feature allows anyone to make a complaint about the incidents of child or adolescent labour which will be forwarded to the respective district nodal officer.
• On receiving the complaint, the nodal officer will verify the genuineness of the complaint by involving police and other stakeholders.
• The district nodal officer, within 48 hours after filing the First Action Report, must decide on the rehabilitation option of the rescued child or adolescent.

Convergence:

• Rescued children between the ages of 5-8 years are admitted to a Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan (SSA) School.
• Rescued children between the ages of 8-14 years are admitted to an NCLP Special Training Centre.
• Rescued adolescents between the ages of 14-18 years are admitted to the relevant Skill Development Centre.

NCLP:

• NCLP society fills the reports and financial statements on the PENCIL portal.
• As per NCLP guidelines, the society submits project and financial reports.

Child Tracking System:

• The child is tracked using the index card generated at the level of the District Nodal Officer or by the project director of NCLP society.
• The index card records the progress of the child on a quarterly basis.
• Moreover, it helps in the continuation of education of migrant children.

State Level:

• The portal provides access to state resource centre which monitors the implementation of the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2016 and NCLP scheme.

‘Labour’ being a subject in the concurrent list, to a large extent the implementation depends on the state governments. The PENCIL portal was launched in the light of a need to create a robust mechanism for monitoring and implementation of the National Child Labour Project (NCLP). PENCIL connects central government, state governments, districts and all project societies under NCLP.

PENCIL Portal [UPSC Notes]:- Download PDF Here