Bonded labour a blot on face of humanity: NHRC official

Tribune News Service

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Chandigarh, April 5

A regional workshop on ‘elimination of bonded labour system’ was held here on Thursday. Justice D Murugesan, Member, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), while delivering the presidential address, said: “It is the duty of the entire administration to work unitedly for the eradication of bonded labour”.

Murugesan said the financial help provided by the government must be made available immediately to the freed bonded labourers and states also must take necessary steps for their rehabilitation.

He said the elements of the bonded labour are generally found in unorganised labour sector, specifically at farm houses, dhabas, hotels, etc. situated at remote interiors.

The workshop was organised in collaboration with the Punjab Government. Other participating states from the region were Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh and Jammu and Kashmir.

The objective of the workshop was to familiarise and sensitise District Magistrates, Sub-Divisional Magistrates, State Labour Officers and Members of the Vigilance Committees, brick-kilns, stone crushing and other related industries in the process of identification, release and rehabilitation of bonded labourers and with the provisions of Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976, and other related legislations.

Dr Ranjit Singh, Joint Secretary, NHRC, emphasised that “bonded labour is a blot on the face of the humanity and illustrated different forms of bonded labour prevalent in our society and noted that all of us should work unitedly for its eradication”. A short film on bonded labour was also displayed.

Rajit Punhani, Director-General, Labour Welfare, and other officials made a demonstration illustrating different manifestations of bonded labour to the District Magistrates, SSPs and various delegates present.

Sanjay Kumar, Principal Secretary, Department of Labour, informed the gathering that vigilance committees had already been setup in Punjab under the chairmanship of Deputy Commissioners at the district level and Sub-Divisional Magistrates at the sub-division level. These vigilance committees help the Administration in implementation of the Act and also facilitate loans from banks for rehabilitation of freed bonded labourers. The NHRC has organised 46 workshops on elimination of bonded labour so far in the country.