Law fails India’s bonded labourers, NCCEBL report reveals underlying reality

By A Representative

The National Campaign Committee for Eradication of Bonded Labour (NCCEBL) in report released in Delhi has alleged serious lapses in the implementation of the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976 (BLSAA). Titled “Report on Migrant Bonded Labour in India,” the document claims that millions continue to work under bonded labour conditions despite the legal abolition of the system nearly five decades ago.

The report was launched at an event in New Delhi featuring testimonies of rescued labourers and contributions from legal experts, academics, and labour rights advocates. NCCEBL Convener Nirmal Gorana said the findings demonstrate a persistent gap between the law and its enforcement.

“There are people working all their life in free India but as slaves,” said Gorana, asserting that the failure to implement the BLSAA has left workers without basic rights and protections.

According to the report, key mechanisms mandated by the law — including summary trials and active vigilance committees — are rarely executed effectively, leaving workers vulnerable. It also alleges that administrative agencies often fail to provide support and, in some cases, side with factory owners and contractors. The report highlights challenges in the identification of bonded labourers, which it says allows perpetrators to evade accountability.

Senior Supreme Court advocate Sanjay Parikh criticised what he called the absence of action at the legal level, stating that without filing First Information Reports (FIRs), the law loses its purpose and victims are denied rehabilitation.

The report also highlights issues related to rehabilitation policies, including inadequate compensation and lack of access to employment through schemes like MNREGA, which activists say forces workers back into debt bondage. Professor Preeti Krishnan of Jindal University said survey findings indicate that 85% of rescued labourers are unable to access MNREGA work, while FIRs were not filed in 80% of documented cases.

Speakers at the event also raised concerns about bonded labour conditions in brick kilns and the absence of internal complaint committees required under labour laws. Aditi, President of the JNU Students’ Union, said workers have no formal grievance mechanism, making exploitation difficult to report.

Sandeep Chachra of Action Aid India called for a redefinition of development metrics to prioritise labour rights and human dignity.

The NCCEBL urged the government to acknowledge the continued existence of bonded labour and take urgent steps to strengthen enforcement, improve victim identification, and reform rehabilitation systems. It also called for effective functioning of Vigilance Committees and improved accountability mechanisms.

Founded as a national network of activists and labour rights groups, the NCCEBL works on rescue and rehabilitation of bonded labourers across India.

Comments

Modi’s Israel visit strengthened Pakistan’s hand in US–Iran truce: Ex-Indian diplomat

By Jag Jivan M. K. Bhadrakumar , a career diplomat with three decades of service in postings across the former Soviet Union, Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Germany, and Turkey, has warned that the current truce in the US–Iran war is “fragile and ridden with contradictions.” Writing in his blog India Punchline , Bhadrakumar argues that while Pakistan has emerged as a surprising broker of dialogue, the durability of the ceasefire remains uncertain.

Manufacturing, services: India's low-skill, middle-skill labour remains underemployed

By Francis Kuriakose* The Indian economy was in a state of deceleration well before Covid-19 made its impact in early 2020. This can be inferred from the declining trends of four important macroeconomic variables that indicate the health of the economy in the last quarter of 2019.

Why Indo-Pak relations have been on 'knife’s edge' , hostilities may remain for long

By Utkarsh Bajpai* The past few decades have seen strides being made in all aspects of life – from sticks and stones to weaponry. The extreme case of this phenomenon has been nuclear weapons. The menace caused by nuclear weapons in the past is unforgettable. Images of Hiroshima and Nagasaki from 1945 come to mind, after the United States dropped two atomic bombs on the cities.

Incarceration of Prof Saibaba 'revives' the question: What is crime, who is criminal?

By Kunal Pant* In 2016, a Supreme Court Judge asked the state of Maharashtra, “Do you want to extract a pound of flesh?” The statement was directed against the state for contesting the bail plea of Delhi University Professor GN Saibaba. Saibaba was arrested in 2014, a justification for which was to prevent him from committing what the police called “anti-national activities.”

Food security? Gujarat govt puts more than 5 lakh ration cards in the 'silent' category

By Pankti Jog* A new statistical report uploaded by the Gujarat government on the national food security portal shows that ensuring food security for the marginalized community is still not a priority of the state. The statistical report, uploaded on December 24, highlights many weaknesses in implementing the National Food Security Act (NFSA) in state.

The soundtrack of resistance: How 'Sada Sada Ya Nabi' is fueling the Iran war

By Syed Ali Mujtaba* The Persian track “ Sada Sada Ya Nabi ye ” by Hossein Sotoodeh has taken the world by storm. This viral media has cut across linguistic barriers to achieve cult status, reaching over 10 million views. The electrifying music and passionate rendition by the Iranian singer have resonated across the globe, particularly as the high-intensity military conflict involving Iran entered its second month in March 2026.

Beneath the stone: Revisiting the New Jersey mandir controversy

By Rajiv Shah A recent report published in the British media outlet The Guardian , titled “Workers carved the largest modern Hindu temple in the west. Now, some have incurable lung disease,” took me back to my visits to the New Jersey mandir —first in 2022, when it was still under construction, though parts of it were open to visitors, and again in 2024, after its completion.

Civil society flags widespread violations of land acquisition Act before Parliamentary panel

By Jag Jivan Civil society organisations and stakeholders from across India have presented stark evidence before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Rural Development and Panchayati Raj , alleging systemic violations of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (RFCTLARR) Act, 2013 , particularly in Scheduled Areas and tribal regions.

Ecologist Dr. S. Faizi urges UN intervention to save 35 million Gulf migrants

By A Representative Renowned ecologist and veteran United Nations negotiator Dr. S. Faizi has issued an urgent appeal to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, calling for immediate diplomatic intervention to halt escalating conflict in the Persian Gulf. In a formal letter copied to several UN missions, Faizi warned that the lives and livelihoods of 35 million migrant workers—who comprise the vast majority of the population in many Gulf cities—are facing an unprecedented existential crisis.

Search This Blog