Child labour in India is when Indian children work for money, on a part or full-time basis....
The practice deprives children of their childhood, and is harmful to their physical and mental development. Various things lead to children working. Poverty, lack of good schools and informal work places may be blamed.[2][3]
The 1998 national census of India estimated the total number of child labour, aged 4–15, to be at 12.6 million, out of a total child population of 253 million in 5-14 age group.[4][5] The 2011 national census of India found the total number of child labour, aged 5–14, to be at 4.35 million,[6] and the total child population to be 259.64 million in that age group.[7]
The child labour problem is not unique to India; worldwide, about 217 million children work, many full-time.[8]