Lok Sabha Question No. 116 (STARRED), answered on 2025-07-28
Subject: Rehabilitation of Bonded Labourers
Ministry: LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
Asked by: Shri Raja Ram Singh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 116

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 28.07.2025

## REHABILITATION OF BONDED LABOURERS

*116. SHRI RAJA RAM SINGH:

Will the Minister of LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT be pleased to state:

- (a)the reasons for delay in disbursing rehabilitation assistance under the Central Sector Scheme for Rehabilitation of Bonded Labourers from rescue operations;
- (b)whether the Government has conducted any assessment on the backlog in compensation payments across the country, if so, the details thereof along with the total number of people rehabilitated during the last five years and the current year, State/UT/districtwise;
- (c)the details of the number of bonded labourers officially rescued between  2020  and  2024  alongwith  those  have  received  the  full rehabilitation  package  including  the  Rs.  one  lakh  assistance, State/UT-wise;
- (d)the details of the steps taken/being taken by the Government to ensure timely and automatic disbursement of financial aid to the rescued labourers particularly in the States/UTs where disbursement is persistently delayed; and
- (e)whether  the  Government  has  any  plan  to  revise  the  monitoring mechanism to make the district-level officials more accountable for delays and report the number of defaulting districts and if so,
- the details thereof?

## MINISTER OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT (DR. MANSUKH MANDAVIYA)

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

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STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) TO (e) OF THE LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NUMBER 116 REGARDING REHABILITATION OF BONDED LABOURERS FOR 28.07.2025 RAISED BY HON'BLE MP SHRI RAJA RAM SINGH.

(a) To (e):  The  Bonded  Labour  System  has  been  abolished  by  law throughout the country with effect from 25 th  October, 1975. This was later replaced by the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976. As and when existence of bonded labour is detected, such persons are identified  for  rehabilitation.  Under  the  Bonded  Labour  System (Abolition) Act, 1976 identification, release and rehabilitation of freed bonded labour is the direct responsibility of the concerned

States/Union Territories.

Under the Act, the District Magistrates and Sub-Divisional Magistrates have been entrusted with certain duties/responsibilities. To assist the District/Sub-divisional Magistrates in discharge of their statutory duties, Vigilance Committees are constituted at district and sub-divisional  level.  Further,  the  Act  also  empowers  Executive Magistrates  to  exercise  powers  of  Judicial  Magistrate  of  first  or second class for trial of offences.

In order to assist the States/UTs in their task of rehabilitation of released bonded labourers, the Ministry of Labour & Employment was implementing a Central Sector Scheme  for Rehabilitation of Bonded Labourer-2016, which was revamped with effect from 27.01.2022 and is henceforth known as Central Sector Scheme for Rehabilitation of Bonded Labourer-2021. This scheme is demand driven where funds are provided to States/UTs on receipt of proposal  from  them.  Further,  the  funds  are  transferred  by  the State/UT Government to the concerned District for the purpose of the Bonded Labourer Rehabilitation Scheme. The salient features of the scheme are as follows:

- The State Governments are not required to pay any matching contribution for the purpose of cash rehabilitation assistance.
- It provides for immediate financial assistance up to Rs.30,000/for each case of rehabilitation.
- Rehabilitation assistance to the tune of Rs.1.00 lakh, Rs.2.00 lakh and Rs.3.00 lakh is provided to rescued bonded labourers based on their category and level of exploitation upon proof of bondage.
- The Scheme also provides for financial assistance of Rs.4.50 lakh once in three years per sensitive district, Rs. 1.50 lakh for Evaluatory  studies  (maximum  of  five  Evaluatory  Studies  per year)  and  Rs.10  lakhs  per  State  per  annum  for  Awareness Generation.
- A Bonded Labour Rehabilitation Fund is required to be created at the District level by each State/UT with a permanent corpus of  at  least  Rs.  10  lakhs.  This  fund  is  utilised  for  extending immediate financial assistance to the released bonded labourers.

Moreover, to ensure timely disbursement of financial aid to the rescued labourers, Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for identification  and  rescue  of  bonded  labourers  and  prosecution  of offender has been framed and issued to all the State Governments for strengthening  the  prosecution  machinery.  Regular  sensitization programmes and coordination with the field level functionaries such as  District  Magistrate/Superintendent  of  Police/Labour  Department officials at the district and state level are held under the aegis of National Human Rights Commission, State Human Rights Commissions for improving the conviction rate in such cases.

The details of number of bonded labourers rescued & rehabilitated and the details of rehabilitation amount reimbursed to States / UTs during last five years and the current year, State-wise, is annexed.

ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) TO (e) OF THE LOK SABHA STARRED  QUESTION  NUMBER  116  REGARDING  REHABILITATION  OF BONDED LABOURERS FOR 28.07.2025  RAISED  BY  HON'BLE  MP  SHRI  RAJA RAM SINGH.

|   Sl. No. | Year    | Name of State/UT   |   bonded labourer to whom Financial/ Final Rehabilitation Assistance has provided Amount provided |   of Immediate Financial/Final Rehabilitation Assistance to bonded labourers (in Rs. lakh) |
|-----------|---------|--------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|         1 | 2020-21 | Assam              |                                                                                                 1 |                                                                                       2    |
|         1 | 2020-21 | Bihar              |                                                                                               220 |                                                                                      43.65 |
|         1 | 2020-21 | Madhya Pradesh     |                                                                                                34 |                                                                                       6.2  |
|         1 | 2020-21 | Rajasthan          |                                                                                                49 |                                                                                       9.8  |
|         1 | 2020-21 | West Bengal        |                                                                                                16 |                                                                                      11.2  |
|         2 | 2021-22 | Bihar              |                                                                                               290 |                                                                                      58    |
|         2 | 2021-22 | Rajasthan          |                                                                                                50 |                                                                                      10    |
|         2 | 2021-22 | Tamil Nadu         |                                                                                              1016 |                                                                                     204.73 |
|         2 | 2021-22 | Chhattisgarh       |                                                                                               250 |                                                                                      50    |
|         3 | 2022-23 | Rajasthan          |                                                                                                70 |                                                                                      14    |
|         3 | 2022-23 | Uttar Pradesh      |                                                                                               287 |                                                                                     390.2  |
|         3 | 2022-23 | Tamil Nadu         |                                                                                               297 |                                                                                      59.4  |
|         4 | 2023-24 | Rajasthan          |                                                                                                56 |                                                                                      11.2  |
|         4 | 2023-24 | Tamil Nadu         |                                                                                               176 |                                                                                      56.8  |
|         4 | 2023-24 | Chhattisgarh       |                                                                                                76 |                                                                                      15.2  |
|         4 | 2023-24 | Pondicherry        |                                                                                                 5 |                                                                                      15    |
|         4 | 2023-24 | Odisha             |                                                                                               155 |                                                                                      15.5  |
|         5 | 2024-25 | Rajasthan          |                                                                                                50 |                                                                                      10    |
|         5 | 2024-25 | Tamil Nadu         |                                                                                               196 |                                                                                      57.4  |

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