15,162 bonded labour cases identified in six yrs: Govt
New Delhi: Despite all the tall claims of complete eradication of bonded labour in the country, the ill practice is still rampant in different states, including Uttar Pradesh.
According to the information provided by Union Labour Minister Bhupender Yadav in a written reply to the question asked by Maneka Sanjay Gandhi in Lok Sabha, the government has stated total 15,162 cases of bonded labour have been identified in 6 years from 2015 to 2021 and 44 per cent of the total cases have been identified in Uttar Pradesh. In Uttar Pradesh, total 6,707 cases of bonded labour were identified during the mentioned period.
In the BJP-ruled stated, the highest 3,492 cases of bonded labour were identified during the year 2017-18 when the state came under the rule of incumbent Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in 2017.
Apart from Uttar Pradesh, bonded labour cases have been identified in the states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Assam, Puducherry, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.
Bihar has reported 2,865 cases of bonded labour in the last 6 years, while Karnataka reported 1,681 such cases followed by Chhattisgarh (1,583) and Odisha (1,000).
As per the data provided by the ministers, no case of bonded labour was identified in the year 2019-20 and Uttar Pradesh has reported any case of bonded labour from 2019-20 onwards. However, the government has maintained that there is no discernible change in the prevalence of bonded labour due to Covid-19 pandemic is observed.
"Keeping in view the challenges posed by the successive waves of the pandemic, all state/UT governments have been directed to prepare a state action plan for preventing and rehabilitating victims of bonded labour and labour trafficking," the minister told the House.
The Centre has spent Rs 1,896.65 lakh in the last years for the rehabilitation of bonded labourers from 2015 to 2021. Highest Rs 296 lakh was spent for rehabilitation in the year 2021-22 and a minimum Rs 99.85 lakh was spent in the previous year (2020-21).
