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Kid labourers at India's Som alcohol system worked 11 hours a day, federal government says

An Indian state government's evaluation of a Som Group distillery stated child labourers, some aged between 13 and 17, were made to fill and pack liquor bottles and worked long hours.

Cops are investigating using child labour at the distillery in Madhya Pradesh state after the federal government's National Commission for Security of Kid Rights said last month it had actually discovered 58 kids working illegally at the factory.

The commission launched photos of some with hands revealing chemical burns and stated some kids were transferred in school buses for factory work.

A day after the children were found on June 15, an inspection report was drafted by the state's industrial health and safety department based upon interviews with 27 employees, the youngest among them being 13 years old. The state says those aged under 21 can not work in an alcohol factory.

The report, which is not public but was seen , states children were working 11-hour shifts beginning at 8 a.m.

Som and the Madhya Pradesh government did not respond to ' requests for comment.

In a submission to the state government on June 18, also seen , Som said some children would visit the company to deliver food and medications to their moms and dads, and no employee was younger than 21.

Som is among the smaller sized distilleries in India's thriving alcohol industry, where both foreign and domestic gamers run. Its website explains it as an worldwide. well-known brand name available in more than 20 markets consisting of the. United States, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

The event has drawn attention to child labour in Indian. supply chains. In 2021, reported an external audit of. two Carlsberg storage facilities discovered underage labourers at a place. in the eastern state of Jharkhand. Carlsberg at the time stated it. had ended the services of the third-party provider.

In the Som evaluation report, the state federal government said the. kids working there were not given training on how they could. safeguard themselves from hazardous chemicals.

Because it is harmful work, there should have been a health. centre at the factory, the report said.

The Madhya Pradesh federal government momentarily suspended the Som. distillery's manufacturing licences, but the business has. challenged the choice, saying there has been no conclusive. finding of misbehavior.

After Som's obstacle, a local court put the state's. choice on hold and said it would next hear the case later on this. month.

In a statement to the stock market last month, Som. Distilleries and Breweries Ltd stated the Madhya Pradesh. plant was run by its associate personal limited company and. utilized labour provided by professionals who may not have actually performed. correct age checks. The noted company's shares have actually fallen by 8%. considering that the children were found at the factory.

(source: Reuters)