Bonded Labor Survivors Await Rehabilitation Aid, Aadhaar Hurdle Persists

In a rare instance of swift justice, four survivors of bonded labor were rescued from a sugarcane field in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, earlier this year. The prime accused, a labor agent and an employer, were convicted within seven months of the rescue operation. However, the victims are still awaiting the full financial aid they are entitled to under the state and central government's rehabilitation schemes.

The issue stems from the lack of Aadhaar cards, a mandatory document required to open bank accounts and receive the aid. Among the survivors is Murugan, 21, who now lives with his wife Valarmathi and their newborn child in a makeshift thatched hut in Chengalpet district. Murugan and the others were subjected to a grueling routine of working from 5 am to 9 pm in the sugarcane fields, with only brief breaks for meals, for nearly three years.

While the authorities have provided immediate relief of 30,000 rupees to six of the victims, Murugan and his wife, along with two others, have not received any funds due to the Aadhaar card requirement. Officials say the process is taking time due to the need for inter-district coordination. Caught in a maze of bureaucratic red tape, the couple and the other survivors continue to wait for the much-needed rehabilitation assistance to rebuild their lives.