102 bonded laborers released

Gudibande, KA, India,

102 bonded labourers were given release certificates by the tahsildar of Gudibande taluk, Chikballapur taluk.  Some of the photogrpahs of the event are attached.  The local MLA was also present.  Commending the efforts of the tahsildar in providing the release certificates to the bonded labourers,

I emphasised the need to continuously identify the bonded labourers and rehabilitate them till the bonded system is wiped out in the taluk and also spelled out the different components of rehabilitation mandated in the Karnataka Action Plan on Bonded Labour.

The Karnataka Government has issued a Government Order on 4 November 2010 nominating Vimukti Trust, Nagarabahvi as a member of the Karnataka State Level High Power Committee on Bonded Labour.  As a follow up of the NHRC meeitng on Bonded Labour in Karnataka held on 16 September 2010, in which I had raised a number of issues regarding implementation of the Bonded Labour Act, the High Power Committee in its meeting on 8 October 2010 had resolved to undertake a number of measures regarding bonded labour in Karnataka.  Some of them were, forming Vigilance Committees in all districts; undertaking a statewide survey on bonded labour; and nominating Vimukti Trust as a member of the High Power Committee.  The Committee is headed by the Additonal Chief Secretary of the State and Principal Secretaries of all the relevant departments, like  Rural Developoment and Panchayat Raj, Labour, Law, Justice and Human Rights, Home, Revenue, Social Welfare, Women and Child, Agriculture, Sericulture, Horitculture, Primary Education, Finance,  Planning and Institutional Finances and Town Development, are its members.