(a) the number of bonded children/labour freed from their incarceration during the last three years and thereafter State-wise;
(b) whether the freed children were again trapped into bondage shortly thereafter;
(c) if so, the number of such cases and the reasons therefor; and
(d) the remedial steps taken by the Government in this regard?
MINISTER OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT (SHRI K. CHANDRASEKHAR RAO)
(a): A statement is Annexed.
(b) & (c): No case of freed/released bonded labour including child bonded labour relapsed into bondage after their release has been reported by any State Government.
(d): As per the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976 Vigilance Committees at District and Sub-Divisional levels under the Chairmanship of District Magistrates/Sub-Divisional Magistrates respectively have been constituted to identify the incidence of bonded labour.
STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) OF THE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 674 TO BE ANSWERED ON 28.11.2005.
(a) The Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976 does not make any distinction between child bondage and adult bondage. The number of bonded labourers including child bonded labourers identified, and freed/released during the last three years and thereafter, State-wise are as under:-
Name of the States 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 upto 25.11.05
Andhra Pradesh - 1699 - - Bihar 125 314 281 141 Haryana 21 - - - Karnataka 1854 - 64 - Madhya Pradesh - - 265 38 Maharashtra 5 - - 6 Orissa - 39 19 - Punjab 69 - - - Rajasthan - 10 - - Uttar Pradesh - 398 41 114 Chhattisgarh 124 - - - Jharkhand - - 196 - Uttaranchal - 5 - - West Bengal - - - 5