This story is from September 17, 2021

Centre asks state to keep a check on bonded labour

The Centre has asked all states, including Kerala, to be vigilant in detecting and abolishing the bonded labour system, which is prevalent in many states despite it having been legally abolished in 1975. The states have been asked to rescue, release and rehabilitate labourers, if any such case is detected.
Centre asks state to keep a check on bonded labour
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THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Centre has asked all states, including Kerala, to be vigilant in detecting and abolishing the bonded labour system, which is prevalent in many states despite it having been legally abolished in 1975. The states have been asked to rescue, release and rehabilitate labourers, if any such case is detected.
“It is to be kept in mind that bonded labour, more often than not, is found in disguised forms.
The states/ Union Territories are required to gear up the district-level vigilance committees for bonded labourers’ detection and sensitise the district administration to take quick action to rescue and rehabilitate them to their parent state,” said a letter from the ministry of labour and employment to all the states, accessed by TOI.
bonded

The states have been asked to take suitable action for generating awareness among the masses in this regard, and also ensure that the poor and vulnerable are not duped by unscrupulous elements, by making false promises, offering better job prospects and remuneration. If there are any pending cases relating to bonded labour in any court, those should be disposed of at the earliest, the Centre instructed.
The bonded labour system was abolished across the country through a law from October 24, 1975. The bonded labour system (abolition) act, 1976, was enacted with a view to preventing economic and physical exploitation of the weaker sections of society. Under the act, the identification, release and rehabilitation of the freed labour is the responsibility of the concerned states. To assist the state governments in identifying and rehabilitating the bonded labour, a central plan scheme was launched in 1978. This was revised periodically, the last time being in May 2016.

As per the latest revision, the Centre bears 100% expenditure, without any contribution from the states. The states are required to create a bonded labour rehabilitation fund, at the district level, with a permanent corpus of at least Rs 10 lakh which is at the disposal of the district collector. This fund can be used for extending immediate financial relief to the freed labourers. In addition to an immediate relief of Rs 20,000, they are also entitled for further financial aid depending on the gravity of the exploitation they have faced.
The state has been reporting several cases of bonded labour, especially from tribal communities, testifies the office bearers of Foundation for Sustainable Development (FSD), an NGO that works for eradicating bonded labour. “At least 30 persons from the state have been rescued from bonded labour in the state by the authorities through our intervention since 2015. A majority were from the tribal community. Such tendencies are mostly found in sectors like domestic labour, agricultur,e etc. We have been actively working in creating awareness and educating about this trend, especially among students,” said C K Dineshan, FSD state coordinator.
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