Assessing Budgetary Priorities for the Rehabilitation of Bonded Labour
The study is a detailed assessment of the government’s scheme for rehabilitation of bonded labour in seven states. The Bonded Labour Act and Rules do not provide clear directions to the government for initiating new schemes or allocation of budgets. The scheme for rehabilitation of bonded labour is the only scheme at the national level and among states only the Karnataka government has a state scheme for cash assistance to bonded labour.
The clause linking the conviction of offenders with cash assistance to victims is a serious design problem in the central sector scheme for rehabilitation of bonded labourers guidelines, which is a major impediment in the rehabilitation of bonded labour. The process of rehabilitation through convergence with programmes like MGNREGA, NRLM and PMAY was not in place. The report suggests that government should revise the act, rules and policies as per the need of bonded labour . Further states should initiate their own schemes on the lines of the Karnataka model, with enhanced unit costs for cash assistance.
