Sunday, 15 November 2015

Bonded Labourers of Western Odisha are yet to get rehabilitation assistance.By SudhirMishra/Bolangir

Bonded Labourers of Western Odisha are yet to get rehabilitation assistance.
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By
SudhirMishra/Bolangir
12th November2015
Bonded Labourers of Western Odisha are yet to get Rehabilitation Assistance.
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Bolangir; Even though the rehabilitation of laboueres ,especially the Bonded Labour release with Bonded labour release certificate years ago, should receive top priority ,however thanks to apathy of officials, they are yet to get their “rehabilitation assistance” ,much to the chagrin of many.
As per the BondedLabour Systems (Abolitions)Act of 1976, a labourer released as Bonded labourer, is entitled to get assistance of rupees 20,000/. While rupees one1000 is given on the spot and the rest19000rupess is given to them at the home state.

The total amount of release assistance is shared by both the State and Central Government on 50;50basis;whiletheCenter gives rupees 10,000/ the state Government gives other 10000 rupees.
Most of the Bondeed labourers hails from the ten backward and migrant ion prone  districts of western Odisha.

We don’t have Bonded labourer in our district. We get them as Bonded Labourer with the release certificate after they are rescued from outside State .So far 146Bonded labourers ofNuapada district are yet to receive their rehabilitation assistance. We have sent their proposal to Panchyat Raj Department, which has been pending there since last one and half years says  a DRDA official of Nuapda.

In Bolangir district officially 94 proposals of  Bonded labourers, which includes 38male, 32 female and 24 children’s are yet to receive their rehabilitation assistance is pending with  panchyatiRaj Department .

In Kalhandi district 54Bondedlabouers  are yet to receive their assistance, says DilipDas ofKalhandi .

Besides Bolangir,Kalhandi,Nuapada, in Bargarh district ,unofficially the number of Bonded labourers yet to receive their rehabilitation  assistance stands at 104

The rehabilitation assistance money of Bonded labour of Bolangir district was lying with Panchyatri Raj department was for more than two years .After it was  published in the Pioneer  onOctober2014  it was also  put before the NationalHuman Rights Commission (NHRC) three day camp court  held at Bhubneshwar on 10-12novermber2014,THE NHRC issued notice to Bolangir collector  to give money them first and a total of 261 Bonded labourers were given rehabilitation assistance in two phase

By giving rupees 19,000/- the district administration  believe that its responsibility is over .Where as  the Bonded labourer should be rehabilitated  with a comprehensive planning and by providing linkages with all the social security schemes, Job work, land development and other programme so that these labourers would live a decent living and would not migrate again. In Bargarh district  the district administration initiated steps to  provide land to less bonded labourer, opines aNGO activist.

Moreover the Bonded labourers should receive priority in getting Indira Awaaas Yojana as mentioned in the guideline which hardly followed properly opines an NGO activist.
There seem to be gap between officials and people representatives of this region  on this issue .

“I was not appraised  about the Bonded labour assistance of 146 Bonded labourers  pending at Bhubneshwar since last one and half year .I would look into this issue” says BasantPanda MLA Nuapada to this correspondent.
Apparently taking a cue from Bolangir bonded labourgetting assistance last year and peeved at the apathy of officials towards santctioning of Rehabilitation assistance money peopleof Nuapada  are contemplating to move toNHRC to address the issue  
We are going to submit a petition to NHRC about Bonded laboureers of Nuapada district not getting their rehabilitation assistance money since last one and half year ,says Fanindam Deo of Nuapadadistrict  to this correspondent. ---


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