The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement on May 16. THE Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) strongly opposes the union cabinet’s approval to legalise child labour in “family enterprises”. This is a retrograde measure which legalises the exploitation of the labour of children below the age of 14. To suggest that “poverty and the social fabric of India” justify the use of child labour is to punish children for their poverty. Instead, people expected this Modi government to take meaningful measures to ameliorate growing poverty of the majority of our people. Modi government’s economic reforms promote ‘outsourcing’. Many developed industries farm out work to contractors who further farm out work to families who work round the clock at exploitative rates. This is in addition to other trades such as bidi making, agarbattis, carpet weaving etc, where children are forced to work. Since it is impossible to regulate “family enterprises” such an amendment will open the floodgates for the rampant use of child labour. Coming as it does in the wake of the severe cuts in the budgetary allocations for children’s development, the proposed amendment exposes the callous approach of this government to children’s rights. The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) calls upon all democratic minded citizens to join in forcing the government to withdraw this anti-child amendment to our laws.