Wednesday, Apr 23, 2003
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Tamil Nadu
By Our Special Correspondent
Spurred by reports of high prevalence of bonded labour in the State, at least 35,000 people, according to official surveys, the ILO has come forward to fund a Rs. 25.85-crore ``model'' rehabilitation project in Tiruvallur district, near here. Announcing the scheme in the Assembly today, the Adi Dravidar Welfare Minister, C. Karuppusamy, said the ILO would contribute 80 per cent towards the project and the State, 20 per cent. According to official sources here, ILO representatives would shortly hold discussions with the Government to implement the project in Tiruvallur, which has an estimated 2,794 bonded labourers in its brick kilns, rice mills and weaving units. The project would help the bonded labourers set up their own units. ``It will not only release and rehabilitate them but also monitor their economic growth so that they do not become bonded labourers again,'' says a senior official. But, the State budget allotted only a token amount for the project this fiscal and it will take off only after the Government gives a firm commitment on sharing 20 per cent of the cost. Despite a Supreme Court directive to all States that they free bonded labourers, the shocking practice continues unchecked in several districts in Tamil Nadu. Hundreds of men, women and children continue to be lured into bondage by touts, who offer a few thousands or work with less or no wages to repay the loans they received from the employers. In fact, seven years ago, the Government identified 25,005 bonded labourers in an extensive survey, and since then another 11,838 have also been spotted. However, over 25,000 people are yet to be released and rehabilitated as revenue divisional officers, who were asked to verify whether they were bonded labourers, insisted that they were fake cases. Faced with resistance from the Revenue department officials, the Adi Dravidar Welfare department, which is engaged in release of bonded labourers, as most of them are either Dalits or tribals, has ordered a ``resurvey''. While non-governmental organisations complain that the ``employer lobby'' has stalled the rehabilitation, revenue officials say the 1997 survey was far from accurate. At least, 20,000 of them were not bonded labourers at all, they say. Besides, rehabilitation was hit by fund shortage as well. In the last seven years, both the Centre and the State Government have spent Rs. 11.22 crores on rehabilitation. For releasing a bonded labourer, Rs. 9,000 would be given to the employer and another Rs. 10,000 for providing the victim with alternative employment. However, the funds flow dried up, and in some cases, the ``rescued'' labourers returned to bondage, in the absence of any monitoring mechanism. Recently, the State Government set up a high-level committee to periodically review the release and rehabilitation of the bonded labourers. But, with drought stalking Tamil Nadu for nearly two years now, several districts abound in ``debt bondage''. For instance, as many as 17,073 bonded labourers have been identified in south India's Manchester — Coimbatore district.
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