NHRC forms a cell to monitor bonded labour issue<br>

The NHRC has setup a cell to monitor issues of bonded and child labour, and the action taken by public authorities on its recommendations. The Commission has been undertaking state wise reviews and conducting workshops to sensitize all stakeholders on the issues of bonded labour.
The dedicated cell will monitor and follow up on a ten-point charter of activities that the NHRC is implementing:
? A Core Group on Bonded Labour, which advices the Commission on strategies to eliminate bonded labour;
? A national seminar on the elimination of bonded labour;
? Workshops in every state known to be particularly affected by the problem;
? Surprise visits by NHRC teams to bonded labour-prone areas, with the assistance of social action groups;
? Meetings with the State/UT Governments to review the functioning of the Laws that prohibit bonded labour;
? Developing an 'Instruction Manual' for the States, detailing a comprehensive check-list for the identification, release and rehabilitation of bonded labourers; issues of release certificates to freed bonded labourers; module for sensitizing DMs, Vigilance Committees (blocks, sub-divisions and districts), civil society functionaries and labour law enforcement machinery;
? Designing of a simple format in which the factual position on bonded labour can be reported and monitored in districts;
? Reviewing existing schemes of the Central and State Governments on bonded labour and suggesting modifications to make them more practical and relevant to the current situation, including a recommendation for the creation of a non-lapsable fund in each district for the rehabilitation of freed bonded labourers;
? Year-wise details of orientation/training programmes organized by the States in their respective bonded labour-prone districts to sensitize the field functionaries of labour law enforcement agencies and members of Vigilance Committees at sub-division and district levels;
? Keeping track of the constitution of State-level monitoring and coordination committees and calling for and reviewing their reports every six months.