Nuapada: Even as the district administration and local police have aggressively started arresting middlemen (coolie sardars) to curb illegal trafficking of bonded labourers in Nuapada district, employment and rehabilitation of the rescued labourers have been neglected.
Achievements of the district administration in this regard have been out-shadowed by the perennial problem of unemployment of poverty-stricken labourers in Nuapada district. Stuck between the devil and deep sea, they still strive very hard to eke out a living, a report said.
According to reports, over 30 thousand bonded labourers from this district move out every year to other states. They are compelled mostly to work under hazardous work atmosphere.
A budget of about Rs 100 crore is allocated every year, under various schemes and programmes of the state government, for the district’s development. Despite such a huge allocation of funds, bonded labourers are left to be exploited.
Although the state government has recently come forward to prevent illegal trafficking of bonded labourers, yet no one is serious about the employment of such a large population, locals alleged. Under bare compulsions, they borrow money from creditors to meet their household expenses.
Intelligentsias of Nuapada district have appreciated the prolific efforts of district administration. At the same time they have demanded far reaching policies on employment and rehabilitation of the labourers.
Notably, forced labour and debt bondage are very common practices across India, with widely reported cases in brick kilns, mining, carpet weaving, agriculture, manual scavenging, hand-embroidery, textiles and garment manufacturing industries.