Kudos to Saroj KC for the article entitled “Child Labour” (THT, July 28, Page 8).

Why don’t the “fools” try to appreciate that the owners of the industries as well as elite and middle class are also full-fledged citizens and voters of their respective countries and are also possessed of human rights? So their interests should also be given a serious look.

If the industries are forced to recruit adults, they would have to part with larger pay packets.

Also unlike the hapless child labourers, the adults would not be exploited to the full economically and physically for fear of repercussion.

So won’t the profit margin of the industrialists witness a significant nosedive, thereby “harming the economy” of the nation? If all children get properly educated; they would become doctors, engineers, scientists or at least a Government clerk?

Now who will do our “dirty” jobs — i.e. dusting, cooking, cleaning the lavatory, washing or constructing glittering shopping malls by literally risking their own lives?

So for the sake of maintaining the “dignity” and “human rights” of the privileged class and seeing the profit of the industrialists, children born of poor parents and orphans should definitely be employed in “safe” industries.

It is indeed sad to witness how little boys and girls (who should have been in school had our society been an ideal one) are begging, aimlessly roaming or lying on the hard floor of railway stations and public spaces.

Not only do these little “gods” get deprived of basic amenities of life, including education. just imagine the magnitude of talent and potential in these future child labourers that are getting scandalously wasted in this fashion!

Yes, the Third World countries should learn from progressive nations to end child labour and award those vulnerable souls their entitled due.

Kajal Chatterjee, Kolkata

Great stride

In spite of the shortage of modern technical gears and resources, trained personnel, substantial financial aid and several other limitations, Nepal has made exemplary and monumental progress in wildlife conservation including tiger conservation efforts across the nation, “Nepal’s tiger population likely to double” (THT, July 30, Page 4).

Kudos to Nepal and her ordinary citizens for achieving this great stride!

The bio-diverse Himalayan nation stands head and shoulders above several other countries across Asia, Africa and Latin America that have failed miserably in wildlife conservation efforts and should serve as a global model for successful wildlife conservation.

Nepal has been successful in reducing the poaching of tigers and protecting the tiger habitats by integrating local people in the forest conservation efforts and the model has huge potential to be even more successful in the future if carefully nurtured and promoted across the nation.

Not just tigers, Nepal has also been successful in protecting the one-horned rhinoceros, Asiatic elephants, several primates and birds too.

Saikat Kumar Basu, Canada