Question : BONDED LABOURERS

MINISTER OF LABOUR (DR. SATYANARAYAN JATIYA)


(a) to (d): A statement is laid on the Table of the House.


THE STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (A) TO (D) OF THE LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 188 FOR 08.03.2000.


(a): As per the latest survey conducted by all the State Government/Uts. during October-December, 1996 as many as 28,916 bonded labourers were identified. The State-wise position of the bonded labourers identified during the survey is given below:-

S.No.	Name of the State	Number of Bonded Labour identified	during October-December, 1996
1. Arunachal Pradesh 3526

2. Bihar 106

3. Karnataka 19

4. Madhya Pradesh 18

5. Maharashtra 02
6. Tamil Nadu 25008

7 Uttar Pradesh 237
Total	28916

(b): The bonded labour system is primarily linked with poverty, unemployment and economic deprivation arising out of landlessness and assetlessness.

(c): State-wise number of boned labourers rehabilitated during last 3 years are given below:-

State	Year
1996-97	1997-98	1998-99

1.	Bihar	-	98

2.	Orissa	48	35

3.	Tamil Nadu	175	6000	5578

4.	Uttar Pradesh	249

(d): The bonded labour system stands abolished throughout the country w.e.f. 25th October, 1975 under the Bonded Labour System (abolition) Act, 1976. Under the Act, District Magistrates are empowered to take punitive action against the offenders/employers who are found either guilty of keeping labour under bondage or indulge in propagating the system of bonded labour.


Financial assistance under a Centrally Sponsored Scheme is provided by the Central Government of the State Government to the extent of Rs. 5000/- per bonded labour on matching contribution (50:50) basis for rehabilitation of freed bonded labourers. With a view to ensuring that the bonded labourers are rehabilitated on a permanent basis, the State Governments have been advised to suitably integrate/dovetail the Centrally Sponsored Scheme with other anti-poverty programmes viz., Swaranajayanti Gram Swarojgar Yojana (SGSY), Special Component Plan for Scheduled Castes and Tribal Sub-Plan of the State Governments etc. so as to pool and integrate the resources available under different schemes in an imaginative manner for the purpose of effective rehabilitation of bonded labourers.