Since 2016-17, 2411 bonded laborers have been rescued in Odisha. Image for representation purposes. File | Photo Courtesy: Vishwaranjan Raut
The Odisha government has directed 11 district collectors to submit reports on the assistance provided to bonded laborers after their rescue from exploitative workplaces within and outside the state.
The directive was issued following the order of a division bench of the Supreme Court comprising Justice BR Gavai and Justice KV Viswanathan, which emphasized the need for the Union of India, including all states and Union Territories, to address the issue of inter-state smuggling. of bonded laborers, including children, through a unified approach.
The Supreme Court directed all states to come up with a proposal for inter-state sale and issuance of release certificates. “We further direct that the proposal should also include a simplified procedure which would effectively implement the scheme of providing immediate financial assistance to rescued migrant workers including children,” the division bench said.
Panchayati Raj and Water Supply Department Secretary Girish SN has written a letter, “The issue of migrant workers is a very sensitive issue and in the last five years, more than 2300 migrant workers have been rescued from different parts of India. It tarnishes the image of the government.”
He said, ‘Bonded laborers face inhuman treatment after leaving home in search of employment. Since 2016-17, a total of 2,411 migrant workers have been rescued.
Late assistance
Although thousands of hostages have been rescued from other states at frequent intervals, they are denied the assistance they deserve under the Bonded Labor System (Abolition) Act, 1976. Prior to 2016, the rehabilitation amount for rescued bonded laborers with a release certificate was ₹ 20,000 (initial cash ₹ 1000 by the destination state and the remaining ₹ 19,000 by the source state). After 2017, under the Central Sector Scheme for Rehabilitation of Bonded Labourers, ₹ 1 lakh for men, and ₹ 2 lakh for women. Those who face extreme abuse or are disabled will get Rs 3 lakh. They are given an immediate cash assistance of ₹ 30,000 at the destination, while the remaining amount is paid by the source states.
“Bonded laborers are not paid their support money on time. Recently, 63 wage laborers were paid Rs 20,000 each under old assistance schemes. They were rescued in 2010-11,’ said Upendra Bagarti, an official of Mancha Shramvahini, which works closely with NGOs and the state government to support and rescue hostage workers.
6 children in the age group of 11 to 14 years have been rescued from Jajpur district who were helping in general work including shepherding. Their movement was restricted. Their families took loans in advance and the employers tried to recover the loans by exploiting the children.
A difficult migration
The incident highlights the persistent issue of distressed migration despite the state government’s claims to effectively implement welfare schemes such as the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). In a similar incident, parents in Balangir left their children with the Bal Kalyan Samiti before migrating in search of work. This underscores the crisis faced by families in vulnerable districts of Odisha.
At a state-level NGO consultation on ‘Labour Trafficking in Odisha: Issues, Challenges, and Roadmap’ held here on Tuesday, experts highlighted that official apathy and procedural hurdles are delaying the timely release of bonded labor aid.
“Authorities in destination states, where workers are rescued, often fail to complete proper paperwork due to language barriers. As a result, workers’ names and addresses often do not match, and their bank accounts are often inactive. Lack of proper documentation further delays the release of aid, ” experts pointed out.
published – Dec 18, 2024 at 04:02 pm IST