(1) No person below eighteen years of age shall be allowed to work in any mine or part thereof.

(2) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-section (1), apprentices and other trainees, not below sixteen years of age, may be allowed to work, under proper supervision, in a mine or part thereof by the manager as referred to in section 67:

Provided that in the case of trainees, other than apprentices, prior approval of the Chief Inspector-cum-Facilitator or an Inspector-cum-Facilitator shall be obtained before they are allowed to work.

(3) The Central Government may prescribe the provisions for medical examination of apprentice, other trainee and employee in the mine to ensure their fitness to work and to prevent the persons below sixteen years of age to work as apprentice or trainee and those who are not adults to work as such employee.

Explanation. —In this section, "apprentice" means an apprentice as defined in clause (a) of section 2 of the Apprentices Act, 1961.