On August 15, in the VIP section of the Independence Day celebrations, one hundred rescued bonded labourers were invited by the government, and some of them attended the celebrations, seated alongside officials and dignitaries. They applauded as the Prime Minister delivered his speech, their presence marking a rare public appearance at one of the country’s most visible national events.
Positioned between men in crisp white khadi, women in spotless sarees, and ambassadors’ spouses managing formal appearances, the rehabilitated guests of honour occupied neatly arranged rows. Many had lived through years of confinement under debts that in some cases began before they were born, obligations that often passed from one generation to the next.
The group of invitees, drawn from multiple States, included not only former bonded labourers but also spouses of victims. In what appears to be a first, the Ministry of Defence, in coordination with the Ministry of Labour and Employment, extended formal invitations to individuals rescued and rehabilitated under bonded labour provisions.
This public gesture coincided with the government’s existing 15-year vision plan, launched in 2016 by the Ministry of Labour and Employment, which aims to identify and release 1.84 crore bonded labourers by 2030. Government estimates for bonded labour prevalence, however, have shown little change over the past decade.
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When the target was announced in Parliament in 2016 by then Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya, the stated objective was to free all 1.84 crore individuals by the 2030 deadline. Since then, fewer than 35,000 have been released, representing less than 2 per cent of the stated goal. At the present pace, the majority are unlikely to be freed before the target year.
According to official data, Uttar Pradesh reports the highest number of bonded labour cases, with many victims belonging to the Scheduled Caste and the Scheduled Tribe communities. However, experts note that official records do not capture the full extent of the problem due to underreporting, reluctance to acknowledge bonded labour in some districts, and delays or failures in issuing release certificates after rescues. Other States with high reported numbers include Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Karnataka.
Annual rescues number in the low thousands, and in most cases, action is taken only after an external complaint is filed. Since victims are confined and unable to approach authorities, the absence of a proactive detection mechanism leaves many uncounted. As a result, large sections of the bonded workforce remain beyond the reach of formal interventions.
Between 1978 and 2023, the government recorded 3.15 lakh rescues and rehabilitations. At this pace, only a small fraction of the 2030 goal will be met. NGOs and researchers generally concur with the broad contours of these figures while acknowledging that the actual number of bonded labourers may be significantly higher.
Many continue to work in industries with minimal oversight, such as brick kilns, which remain one of the largest sectors associated with bonded labour. These kilns often operate without licences, pay wages far below the legal minimum, and draw entire families into debt through advance payments and restrictive conditions. Attempts to leave are frequently met with intimidation or physical force, and exploitation can extend to sexual abuse, child labour, and the use of violence to maintain control.
In 2018, a large-scale rescue operation near Chennai freed 500 individuals from Odisha who had been recruited with promises of schooling and housing. Upon arrival, they were housed in temporary quarters they built themselves from the bricks they produced, and were provided only minimal food. A subsequent rescue in Ponneri in 2019 by Tiruvallur district officials, the International Justice Mission, and local police followed similar patterns, releasing nearly 500 bonded workers from a kiln.
A historical context
Bonded labour in India predates the Republic and modern labour terminology. For centuries, it functioned as an accepted arrangement in which debts from small loans — for weddings, medical costs, or other needs — were repaid through labour, often for life. These debts, passed to children, were maintained through systems of feudal authority, caste hierarchy, and colonial contracts that also sent Indian indentured workers overseas.
Children working in a brick kiln located behind the Indian Institute of Technology, Hyderabad. | Photo Credit: Mohd Arif
Today, bonded labour continues across sectors, including construction, agriculture, carpet weaving, and manual scavenging. The National Human Rights Commission and Supreme Court judgements have both documented its persistence. In States such as Odisha and Uttar Pradesh, repeated mass rescues have shown the scale of the problem despite decades of legal prohibitions.
The Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act came into force in 1976, abolishing the practice and criminalising debt-based servitude. February 2026 will mark 50 years since its enactment. Nonetheless, bonded labour remains present in multiple industries, often through practices adapted to avoid detection under the law.
The approaching anniversary offers an opportunity to assess progress against the government’s stated targets and the continuing presence of bonded labour in the economy. This includes examining why, despite national plans to rescue crores by 2030, weak enforcement, political inattention, and the profitability of cheap labour continue to enable the system.
In many rural areas, the practice persisted after 1976 with little visible change, taking on new forms or euphemisms. Even in urban discussions of employment and job growth, large numbers of bonded labourers remain outside the frame, confined in unfree work.
The Independence Day event this year placed 100 rescued labourers before a national audience, with officials greeting them and television cameras broadcasting their presence. Beyond the ceremonial acknowledgment, bonded labour remains widespread in sectors that measure work not in wages but in units such as bricks produced or cane harvested.
The case of Santosh
Santosh, a man in his twenties from Kishanganj, Bihar, travelled to Haryana in April this year seeking employment. While others in his group returned home, he stayed behind. At Bahadurgarh Junction, he accepted an offer of work from an unknown man and was taken to a dairy farm in an isolated location. There, he worked without pay in hazardous conditions, tending buffaloes and cleaning waste. Physical abuse was frequent, according to police findings.
Following a serious injury in which his arm was severed below the elbow, he was abandoned on a roadside without proper medical attention. After walking 150 km towards home, he was found by a schoolteacher who notified police. Santosh is now recovering in hospital, while investigations continue.
150 km later — Santosh lies bandaged, one arm gone. For the young rescued victims of bonded labour like Santosh, one journey ends when they are found, the other begins during rehabilitation and recovery. | Photo Credit: Ismat Ara
Bonded labour cases fall under the jurisdiction of the Sub-Divisional Magistrate or District Collector, who must assemble a team including police and labour officers to verify complaints. However, social workers report that written complaints are generally required to trigger action. In some States, court proceedings replace administrative action, often resulting in lighter penalties for employers.
Procedures stipulate that employers must be absent during victim interviews, and that a “release certificate” be issued to formally nullify any debt agreements. This document also entitles victims to immediate financial assistance under the central rehabilitation scheme. Rescued individuals receive an initial Rs.30,000, with larger sums dependent on employer conviction, a step that is infrequently achieved.
In one Karnataka case in 2018, for example, acquittals followed despite victims being found in chains, after the defence claimed the restraints were film props and witnesses withdrew statements.
Persistent challenges
Advocate David Sundar Singh, who works with the government’s Tele-Law Project in Tamil Nadu, notes that bonded labourers often endure shifts of 15-20 hours under severe conditions, with families rotated in alternating work and rest cycles. He points out that most victims are from the Scheduled Tribes or other marginalised communities.
Under the 1976 Act, offences were bailable with relatively low fines. In 2013, human trafficking was made non-bailable with harsher penalties, improving the legal framework. In Tamil Nadu, training for police, standard operating procedures, and a State action plan have improved response times and coordination.
In March this year, another case emerged: Phool, an 18-year-old from Dindori, Madhya Pradesh, was trafficked to Delhi under false pretences and confined in a private home. She was rescued following NGO intervention and issued a release certificate, but no FIR was filed, highlighting enforcement gaps.
In another case that month, Delhi police rescued 12 boys aged 11-15 from Bihar working in an underground workshop. They were kept in cramped, poorly ventilated rooms, working long hours for little or no pay, and were bound by informal debts for travel and lodging.
Bonded labour often begins with an advance payment from an employer that is later used to justify indefinite, unpaid work. The Central rehabilitation scheme, first launched in 1978 and revised in 2016 and 2022, provides immediate and conditional financial support, as well as access to welfare schemes. However, linking full compensation to employer conviction remains a major barrier to timely relief.
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The 2021 Global Slavery Index estimated that India has the largest number of people in modern slavery globally, with 11 million individuals affected. Broader estimates from the International Labour Organization and Walk Free Foundation suggest the figure could exceed 18 million, including forced marriage and trafficking.
Annual release numbers average under 5,000, showing no marked acceleration. While some States have improved operational responses, the gap between national targets and actual rescues remains large.
The Union government’s invitation of rehabilitated bonded labourers to the Red Fort this Independence Day placed them in national view. For the individuals present, it was a rare moment of recognition. Yet the underlying patterns that sustain bonded labour remain deeply embedded in multiple sectors, and without sustained enforcement and systemic change, the practice is likely to continue well beyond official deadlines.
Ismat Ara is a freelance journalist based in New Delhi. She writes on politics, gender, and social affairs.
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