Central Sector Scheme for Rehabilitation of Bonded Labourer

Description
The Central Sector Scheme for Rehabilitation of Bonded Labourer-2021, effective from January 27, 2022, is a crucial initiative led by the Ministry of Labour & Employment, Government of India that addresses eradicating bonded labour in India. It introduces varying rehabilitation assistance amounts based on beneficiary categories, such as adults, children, women, and extreme cases, with provisions for annuity schemes and Direct Benefit Transfer. The scheme also facilitates surveys, awareness programs, and evaluatory studies to combat bonded labour, with financial support. It emphasizes skill development, socio-economic assistance, and monitoring mechanisms, all aimed at offering comprehensive support to eradicate the bonded labour system in the country.

Benefits
• The rehabilitation assistance shall be ₹1,00,000 (One Lakh Rupees) per adult male beneficiary.
• Beneficiaries have the option to deposit the assistance in an annuity scheme or receive it as a cash grant.
• The District Administration will assess the cash requirement of the beneficiary and, with their consent, place the money in an annuity scheme.
• Rehabilitation assistance for special category beneficiaries, such as children, including orphans, or those rescued from forced labour, and women, shall be ₹2,00,000 (Two Lakhs Rupees).
• At least ₹1,25,000 (One Lakh Twenty-Five Thousand Rupees) shall be deposited in an annuity scheme in each beneficiary's name.
• The remaining amount shall be transferred to the beneficiary's account via Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).
• In cases of extreme deprivation, such as transgender individuals, women, and children rescued from sexual exploitation, or trafficking, the rehabilitation assistance shall be ₹3,00,000 (Three Lakhs Rupees).
• At least ₹2,00,000 (Two Lakhs Rupees) shall be deposited in an annuity scheme in each beneficiary's name.
• ₹1,00,000 (One Lakh Rupees) shall be transferred to the beneficiary's account via DBT.
• Each state shall create a Bonded Labour Rehabilitation Fund at the district level with a permanent corpus of at least ₹10,00,000 (Ten Lakhs Rupees) at the disposal of the District Magistrate.
• Penalties recovered from convicted perpetrators of bonded labour may be deposited in this corpus.
• The District Administration shall provide immediate financial assistance up to ₹30,000 (Thirty Thousand Rupees) to rescued individuals from the District Bonded Labour Rehabilitation Fund.
• The District Magistrate may disburse higher amounts if required but limited to the maximum entitlement prescribed under this scheme.
• State Governments/UTs shall focus on:
• Providing a safe and secure environment for capacity building of child-bonded labourers.
• Addressing the special needs of female freed bonded labourers, including financial support for marriage.
• Offering special care for disabled individuals, in line with the national policy for disabled people.
• Providing employable skill development training for adult bonded labourers who do not fall into the above categories.

Eligibility Criteria
1. The beneficiary should be a rescued bonded labour.

Application Process
Step 1: The District Magistrate/Administration forwards the proposal for financial support to the relevant State Ministry/Department dealing with the Bonded Labour Rehabilitation Scheme (BLR). The State/UT Government submits each proposal for immediate c…
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The District Magistrate/Administration forwards the proposal for financial support to the relevant State Ministry/Department dealing with the Bonded Labour Rehabilitation Scheme (BLR). The State/UT Government submits each proposal for immediate cash assistance and rehabilitation assistance.
The eligible reimbursements are disbursed directly by the MoLE to the State/UT Government. The State/UT Government transfers the allocated funds to the concerned District Magistrate/Collector to support the implementation of the Bonded Labour Rehabilitation Scheme (BLR).
The District Administration will assess the cash requirement of the beneficiary and exercise its best judgement if the amount should be put under an annuity scheme or transfer it to the beneficiary account through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).

Required Documents
• Duly filled Release Certificates for each rescued bonded labourer (Annexure —A).
• Duly filled Release Certificates for each rescued Bonded Labor (Annexure-A).
• Details of each rescued bonded labourer in the prescribed format (Annexure —B).
• Consolidated information about bonded labourers for the release of Rehabilitation Assistance (Annexure-C).

Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How frequently can a State/UT Government conduct surveys of bonded laborers, and what is the financial assistance available for this purpose?
A: A State/UT Government can conduct surveys once every three years per sensitive district, with financial assistance of Rs. 4.50 lakh per district.

Q: How are funds released for the scheme, and what are the modalities for fund transfer?
A: Funds are released by the Ministry of Labour and Employment directly to the State/UT Government, which then transfers the funds to the concerned District Magistrate/Collector for the purpose of the Bonded Labourer Rehabilitation Scheme.

Q: How do District Magistrates/Administrations submit proposals for financial demands to the Central Government?
A: District Magistrates/Administrations send proposals to the concerned State Ministry/Department responsible for the Bonded Labour Rehabilitation Scheme, which, in turn, scrutinizes and submits the proposal to the Central Government.

Q: What is the financial assistance available for evaluatory studies, and how does it work?
A: States can conduct up to five evaluatory studies per year for eradicating bonded labor, with financial assistance of Rs. 1.5 lakh for each study. The Central Government provides 50% of the required amount in advance.

Q: How is awareness generated for the eradication of bonded labor, and what financial assistance is available for this purpose?
A: States can conduct awareness generation programs, and financial assistance for this purpose is reimbursed on a case-to-case basis, subject to a maximum limit of Rs. Ten lakh per State/UT per annum.

Q: Can you explain the process of conducting a survey of bonded laborers and the financial assistance provided for it?
A: States may conduct a survey of bonded laborers once every three years per sensitive district, with a financial assistance of Rs. 4.50 lakh per district. This amount can be used to finance the efforts of NGOs in identifying bonded laborers.

Q: How does the scheme ensure that the benefits provided are in addition to any other cash or non-cash benefits that a beneficiary might be entitled to from other schemes or laws?
A: The scheme explicitly states that the benefits it offers are supplementary to any other benefits that a beneficiary may be entitled to under other existing schemes or laws.

Q: What role does the scheme play in employable skill development for adult bonded laborers?
A: Employable skill development training is a compulsory element of rehabilitation for adult bonded laborers who do not fall into special beneficiary categories.

Q: Could you clarify the components of assistance for female freed bonded laborers?
A: The State Government provides financial assistance for marriage and other capacity-building measures for female freed bonded laborers.

Q: How does the scheme address the capacity building of child bonded laborers?
A: The District Administration, in a convergence approach, ensures proper education, psycho-social counseling, short stay homes for education up to class 12th, and skill development as part of the rehabilitation package for child bonded laborers.

Q: What is the maximum amount of immediate financial assistance that can be provided to a rescued person from the District Bonded Labour Rehabilitation Fund?
A: The District Administration can provide immediate financial assistance up to Rs. 30,000, with the possibility of higher amounts if justified, subject to the maximum entitlement under the scheme.

Q: What measures are taken for the immediate care and protection of rescued persons during the summary trial?
A: The scheme allows for immediate assistance, including lodging, medical aid, legal support, and victim/witness protection, provided under other laws or schemes, regardless of the entitlements prescribed under this scheme.

Q: How does the scheme address situations where individuals are not in a condition of bondage but still require socio-economic assistance?
A: When individuals are not in a condition of bondage but require socio-economic assistance, the District Magistrate may provide state assistance under other relevant schemes administered by them.

Q: Could you elaborate on the circumstances under which the rehabilitation assistance is set at Rs. Three lakhs?
A: In cases involving extreme deprivation or marginalization, such as trans-genders, women or children rescued from sexual exploitation, the rehabilitation assistance is set at Rs. Three lakhs, with a significant portion placed in an annuity scheme.