MUMBAI, May 11: Carpet exports from India have gone up by over four per cent to Rs 2,060 crore during 1996-97 in spite of threats by western countries like Germany and the United States to impose a ban on carpet units using child labour. The export target in the current year (1997-98) is around Rs 2,200 crore.

``Carpet exports have not been affected by the threat of western countries to impose a ban on carpet units using child labour. Indian exporters managed to increase exports to the western countries by employing child labour and circumventing the regulatory mechanism and periodical inspections of the private monitoring agency,'' said an industry source, who preferred anonymity.

In 1992-93 when the US and Germany initiated measures to impose ban on Indian carpets due to child labour, the export was only Rs 750 crore. The main export market for Indian carpet is Europe which take in 55 per cent (Germany alone 40 per cent) followed by the US (35 per cent).

While the carpet weaving industry employed an estimated 1-1.5 lakh children a few years ago, the Carpet Export Promotion Council Chairman O P Garg claimed that it has come down to 20,000 children now. ``In 1992, only 8 per cent of the total employees in the industry consisted of child labour out of which 4.4 per cent were only family labour.

Employing family labour is not an offence. Now out of 2 million total employees in the carpet industry, there are one million weavers and 1.2 per cent are children,'' Garg claimed.

The Academy of Management Studies, Lucknow which was appointed by the Council to monitor child labour in carpet weaving looms inspects around 10 per cent of the 2 lakh odd weaving looms.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.