Why do workers in Odisha return to bonded labour?

Western Odisha, where I live, is often in the news for its high migration rate and the prevalence of bonded labour. I work with Shramavahini, a nonprofit dedicated to the rescue and rehabilitation of bonded labourers. While we have rescued many people, at least a quarter of them return to bondage within six months.

Driven by need, they fall back into cycles of debt and are eventually forced back into bonded work, either at new or old sites. ‘Rebondage’ is an ever-present risk that bonded labourers face, and there are several factors responsible for it.

The Central Sector Scheme for Rehabilitation of Bonded Labourer provides both financial and non-financial assistance to rescued labourers. However, in most cases, they do not receive these entitlements at all. Some have been waiting for more than a decade, while a few have received only part of their dues after long delays. Block-level officials reject claims, saying that applicants haven’t submitted the necessary documents, even when they have.  

Some of the returnees take up work provided under MGNREGA. But there’s no guaranteed daily pay for this work, which discourages people from continuing. The difficulty is that there are no alternatives—private jobs are limited (and in any case, only pay monthly salaries), while water scarcity makes agriculture unviable. Even people who take up odd daily wage jobs don’t get a full day’s work, which restricts their income. This situation forces people to turn to moneylenders, and they fall into the debt trap again.

Many re-enter bondage through the same agents who had previously connected them with the employers. Others, alert to past false promises of a better life, seek out licensed agents who can register them with the labour office. These agents are also required to register the workers they are helping migrate and provide details such as their destination and the nature of the work. This helps the government maintain labour data.

Given the challenges that people face—poor rehabilitation and lack of job opportunities—we cannot prevent them from seeking work wherever they can find it, risky though it is. But as a safeguard against abuse and in order to enable traceability, our nonprofit urges the returnees to go with licensed agents, register themselves with the state, and inform their families and neighbours of their plans.  

The government and organisations like ours conduct rehabilitation sessions with the migrants where they learn about available resources, such as government-run seasonal hostels where workers can leave their children while they travel for work. However, we have realised that the only real solution is to create local work opportunities and ensure that people are paid on time. We are trying to help rescued bonded labourers access skill development and employment schemes such as the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana and Odisha Rural Development and Marketing Society. We also assist women in forming self-help groups (SHGs) and securing low-interest loans to set up small businesses.

If people can find work locally, they won’t have to go out in search of it.

Ranjita Rana is the secretary at Shramavahini.

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