Faced with the possibility of the US blacklisting Indian apparels for use of child labour, the textile ministry is working on informal grading of textile units. It has teamed up with exporters to persuade factories in Delhi and Mumbai to adopt global practices, a government official has said.

To convince the US government about its seriousness towards eliminating child labour, the ministry will also set up dedicated cells to investigate cases of suspected child labour in the industry.

The US has threatened to include India in the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorisation (TVPRA) list and the Executive Order 13126 List (EOL) of the Department of Labour for using child labour. This could lead to large buyers from the US like Walmart, GAP, H&M, Diesel, M&S, Levi’s, boycotting Indian textiles leading to large losses for exporters. The country accounts for 30% of India’s total apparel exports worth $10 billion.

These efforts are over and above the common compliance code for the industry being worked out by the apparel export promotion council, the government-sponsored body of apparel exporters in India, which would ensure elimination of child labour and compliance with environmental requirements like chemicals, hazardous substance, domestic sewage, waste handling, personal protective equipment and recycling practices.