New Delhi: Though the bonded labour system has been abolished by the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976, instances do come to notice.
The States from where bonded labour have been rescued and rehabilitated so far are: Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu,
Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal.
In order to assist the State Governments in the task of rehabilitation of freed bonded labourers, a Centrally Sponsored Plan Scheme for Rehabilitation of Bonded Labour has been in operation since May, 1978. The Government has revamped the Centrally Sponsored Plan Scheme into ‘Central Sector Scheme for Rehabilitation of Bonded Labourers, 2016’ with effect from 17th May, 2016. Under the revamped Scheme, financial assistance is provided for rehabilitation of a rescued bonded labourer at the rate of rupees one lakh for adult male beneficiary, Rs. 2 lakh for special category beneficiaries such as children including orphans or those rescued from organized & forced begging rings or other forms of forced child labour, and women, and Rs. 3 lakh in cases of bonded or forced labour involving extreme cases of deprivation or marginalization such as trans-genders, or women or children rescued from ostensible sexual exploitation such as brothels, massage parlours, placement agencies etc., or trafficking, or in cases of differently abled persons, or in situations where the District Magistrate deems fit. Rs. 20,000/- is provided as immediate assistance.
The Scheme also provides for financial assistance of Rs. 4.50 lakh per district to the States for conducting survey of bonded labourers, Rs. 1.00 Lakh per district for evaluatory studies and Rs. 10 Lakhs per State per annum for awareness generation.
The Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976 and the bonded labour rehabilitation scheme mandate the States to provide for economic and social rehabilitation of the freed bonded labourers including their skilling and capacity building. States have also been specifically requested to make use of the prevailing skill development schemes for training of the freed bonded labourers.
This information was given by Shri Santosh Kumar Gangwar, Union Minister of State (I/C) for Labour and Employment in written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.
