Mandya Deputy Commissioner Dr. Kumar rued that the bonded labour system was still in vogue despite the passage of a law against it decades ago and underlined the importance of education in its eradication
He was speaking at a programme held in Mandya to mark Bonded Labour Abolition Day, on Friday, February 9. It is the dream of every individual to ensure that there is no bonded labour and people of the district should join hands with the authorities to ensure its eradication, he added.
Mr. Kumar said education was the panacea for the eradication of bonded labour in all forms and said that people should make themselves literate and educated by availing of various facilities that have been provided by the government.
Lack of education, illiteracy and economic impoverishment were the root cause of bonded labour system and it was the duty of the officials to create greater public awareness of the scourge.
He said the objective of observing Bonded Labour Abolition Day was to sensitise the public about the social evil and ensure that every citizen was aware of the problem and work towards its eradication.
He said though the act against bonded labour was passed in Karnataka in 1976, it was still prevalent in some form or the other. While the smaller offences come to light, the more gruesome form of bonded labour remains incognito, Dr. Kumar added.
The event was also held to sensitise the government officials to the prevalence of bonded labour and an oath was administered to them to strive to end the evil. Senior civil judge and member secretary of District Legal Services Authority Vani A. Shetty said that bonded labour was a crime under the law and described it as a heinous practice.
Earlier, an awareness jatha was flagged off to create public awareness of the scourge of bonded labour in society. Superintendent of Police N. Yeshwanth, social welfare officer Siddalingesh and others were present.
