Responsible mica initiative reaches full village coverage in Jharkhand and Bihar

A decade-long programme covering cosmetics and automotive mica reports child labour monitoring now active in all 1,080 mining villages in the two Indian states.

The Responsible Mica Initiative announced full monitoring coverage of the mica-mining villages of Jharkhand and Bihar, combining village-level child protection committees with income diversification for mining families.

Verified child labour incidence in covered villages has fallen 70% since 2016, though the initiative stresses that legal mine formalisation — still pending state approval — is essential to lock in gains.