The Hindu Editorial Analysis
1 May 2025
India’s shame — the trap of bonded labour
(Source – The Hindu, National Edition – Page No. – 06)
Topic: GS 1: Social Empowerment
Context
- India’s economic growth relies heavily on exploiting its most vulnerable populations.
- Bonded and forced labour remain widespread, fueling industrial progress at a grave human cost.
Introduction
- International Labour Day (May 1) celebrates workers’ rights and dignity worldwide.
- In India, however, millions remain trapped in bonded labour, overshadowing this day of celebration.
Stories of Survivors
Mukesh Adivasi – Shivpuri, Madhya Pradesh
- In 2023, Mukesh and his family were promised jobs but trafficked 1,400 km away to Karnataka.
- Forced to work 14–16 hours a day on a sugarcane farm under bonded labour conditions.
- A small advance of ₹500 became a tool of relentless exploitation and brutal violence.
- When Mukesh demanded wages, he was brutally beaten, resulting in a shattered leg.
- Police rescued him, but he continues to suffer physically and emotionally.
K. Thenmozhi – Puttur, Andhra Pradesh
- At just 13, Thenmozhi’s family accepted a ₹2,000 loan to work in a Bengaluru brick kiln.
- Endured 12–14 hours of hard labour, abuse, and confinement.
- A social worker’s intervention scared the owner away, allowing Thenmozhi’s family to escape barefoot.
- Though they returned home, the trauma of their experience remains deeply etched.
Bonded Labour in India: Root Causes and Survivor Realities
- Millions like Mukesh and Thenmozhi are caught in this cycle of bondage.
- Their stories expose the cruelty of exploitation and the urgent need for deep reforms.
Immediate Triggers
- Families fall into bonded labour due to:
- Medical emergencies
- Religious ceremonies
- Dowry demands
- Food shortages
- Sudden loss of income
- These forces push impoverished families to accept loans or advances tied to exploitation.
Structural Causes
- Caste, ethnic, and religious discrimination
- Social exclusion and illiteracy
- Lack of access to legal aid or information
- Employer control over credit and labour markets
- Influence of local elites reinforcing economic dependence
- Together, these factors turn economic necessity into a system of coercion — modern-day slavery.
Progress and Challenges in Ending Bonded Labour
| Year/Topic | Details |
|---|---|
| Abolition of Bonded Labour | Officially abolished in India in 1975. |
| Government’s 2016 Plan | Aim to free and rehabilitate 1.84 crore bonded labourers by 2030 (announced by Union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya). |
| Progress (2016-2021) | Only 12,760 rescued/released, with 1.71 crore still in bondage. |
| 2030 Target | Requires rescuing about 11 lakh labourers every year from 2021 onwards — an unrealistic target. |
| Unorganised Labour | 39 crore workers in India’s informal sector, including many migrants vulnerable to forced labour. |
| Quality of Jobs (2024 Report) | Most jobs in India are low-quality and informal, lacking security and benefits (ILO 2024 India Employment Report). |
| Labour Rights & Unionisation | Unorganised workers lack unions and collective bargaining power, leading to exploitative and precarious conditions. |
| Impact of Labour Codes 2019-20 | These laws have weakened workers’ rights and trade union protections established by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, increasing vulnerability. |
Conclusion
- Investigations since early 2022 reveal the dark reality that Indian industries often thrive on exploitation.
- Migrant workers displaced by climate change, poverty, and joblessness face low wages, insecure jobs, and constant threats of dismissal.
- This exploitation represents systemic abuse that prioritizes profits over people.
- India’s economic growth is shamefully built on the backs of bonded and forced labourers — its most vulnerable citizens.