Bonded Labour System
Finally, The End Has Come

By Prem N Kakkar

IN A historic decision of the government the Kamaiyas or the bonded labourers in the country have been freed with effect from Monday this week. This particular decision has a far reaching consequence when we talk so much about the human rights condition of the people. That such a ancient and reviled system was prevalent in Nepal especially the far western region speaks of the past governments failure to check it.

Commendable

It was a major decision that the cabinet had made in its just over three months of its formation. It is a commendable effort to free the bonded labourers from the clutches of the unscrupulous landlords. The decision taken by the government is the abolition of the bonded labour system, the relics of a bygone age. Despite it being not in conformity with the present times when the fundamental rights have
been guaranteed by the government speaks that the plight of our own countrymen came for attention only in recent times.

Ten years have already elapsed since the ushering in of democracy in the country. The Constitution of the country prohibits any form of exploitation of the citizens in whatever form it may be yet the existence of the Kamaiyas speaks that the constitutional provisions were not followed and the thrust to free the bonded labourers only came a few days back, though belatedly.

The system of bonded labour is a blot in the conscience of the nation. But the decision ending this system does prove that action is taken when the need arises. The bonded labour system thrived on the poverty of the people. And this system thrived especially in the backward regions of the country that too in the Terai region. Fortunately, in the hills such a hateful system is not in existence.

The demand for labour is high in the Terai region especially for agricultural works. Works related to agriculture are not only time consuming but demand strenuous efforts. It is mainly focused on utilising human power in the absence of the modern farming methods. This generated the requirement for more people to till, plant and reap the harvest. The people who had taken loans virtually became slaves in the hands of the landlords.

It may be bewildering but the fact remains that the bond for making a person, who has taken a loan, work as a bonded labour need not be written, it could be merely a verbal agreement. Just this made the debtor fall into the vicious trap. Herein, it must be remembered that the loan was almost never repaid. The debt remained despite the lifetime of serving the landlord. As per the arrangement, on the death of the person concerned his children in turn took his place and the cycle kept on continuing.

One major point that the recent decision has focused on is that the debts that remain need not be paid back. This comes as a relief to those who have just been released from the shackles of slavery to one of freedom which every citizen of the country is entitled to. With this the burden which the Kamaiyas had been forced to carry from generation to generation has been removed. Now they are as free to choose any occupation as any other persons in the country do. The right to profession is now guaranteed.

But as bonded labourers till a few days the Kamaiyas have a daunting task in front of them to make a decent livelihood. It is a matter of fact that almost all of such people and even their children are illiterate. It is only a few who were somewhat conscious as seen by only a hundred or so making it to the capital to stage their protests. In such a situation just freeing them from the bonds of slavery will not be enough.

There is a need to educate the young ones so that in the future they can take up their own professions and become responsible citizens of the country.

The actual bonded labourers who have been freed must be provided with the necessary support and trained in income generating skills so that they will be able to embark on meaningful activity as far as sustaining their lives are concerned.

Without jobs or land on which to work, life will have to be made more attractive. As the efforts that have gone into taking the decision to free them from the bonds more is needed so that they may be able to lead a life of dignity and at the same time be able to fulfill their basic needs. At present, they stand as people in the clothes that they are wearing, the need for shelter is also important. They also belong to the group of the landless folks. The need here grows to provide them with land as far as possible. This will be taking another step forward.

Emphasis

The government has taken a bold step in eliminating the bonded labour system. But in the days to come the emphasis laid on the dignity of the citizen must still remain. Programmes must be formulated to meet their needs. Though there are some programmes targetting the poorest of the poor like B P with the poor, there is a need to accomodate over 70,000 Kamaiyas who have now joined the bandwagon. As long as they were in the clutches of the landlords they were left to fend for themselves but now the situation is different. The significant gesture has come about to the relief of all. The need now grows to make the freed Kamaiyas stand on their own feet.

Population Growth: Grim Reminder

By Mohan K.C.

THE World Population Day this year has had a new message for all and that is the total population of the country has become about 23 million. To be exact, the figure hovers at 22,931,878 as of July 11. The rapid growth of population in recent times is a worry for the planners. The growth rate has remained at 3.37 per cent which is still considered to be quite high for a country which is yet to free itself from the vicious circle of poverty.

Poverty

The fact that almost fifty per cent of the people in the country live in poverty, the addition of more hungry mouths to feed as a faster pace speaks of the deadly challenges in front of the nation.

Half a century back there were virgin jungles and the checks and balances of nature kept the population within affordable limits. But now advances in the medical field and growing awareness among the people has seen mortality rate decrease somewhat. In such a scenario it is but natural that the population explosion is bound to take place like it is taking place in the country.

The further revelation that the country’s population will double in the next thirty years is quite shocking. To meet the challenges posed by the high growth of population it is a necessity that steps be taken right now without a moment’s delay.

The planners in the past had too realised the gravity of the situation but the efforts taken were quite half hearted and lacked the amount of commitment necessary to keep a check. Family planning was introduced but the results have not been very encouraging. One thing that hindered with the family planning initiative was the conservative approach to it all. The illiterate and ignorant people specially in the rural parts of the country saw in family planning efforts an attempt to disturb the social fabric and challenge the way nature worked.

The sceptic view of it all did not allow family planning to take hold as much as it should have. The reluctance to go for family planning through the use of permanent or temporary methods was the cause for the population growth rate not decreasing to the level expected. Even today the scenario has remained the same. The statistics have only gone to point that if nothing is done urgently, there will be more problems to be confronted in the days to come.

It remains a fact that the available amount of arable land can hardly be increased. It is also a fact that some percentage of the farm land have become barren due to various reasons. The cutting down of forests to create more farming land is not a possibility with the already decreasing amount of forest cover. The only alternative that remains is for increasing the productivity of the land that remains with us.

It must be realised that the increase in the productivity depends on the inputs in the form of fertiliser, farming tools and implements, improved hybrid seeds and so on. In the present times, the popularity of chemical fertilisers has increased but the unavailability of the same when they are most needed by the farmers speaks for a revamping of the whole system of fertiliser distribution network.

The 20 year Agriculture Perspective Plan speaks a lot for enhancing agricultural production but what is most needed now is the translation into action so that the envisaged goal can be achieved in the long run. Short term strategies like thinking of the import of chemical fertiliser for one season or one year is not enough more has to go into it.

If only the agricultural sector can fulfill the demands of the teeming millions then it can be said that much has been gained. But as many parts of the country still now suffer from scarcity of food, it is time that development works are taken there.

There is another side to the story and that is the existence of a large number of marginal farmers which makes it difficult for them to avail the services of modern farming technique. And it is true that a two pronged strategy will alone solve the problem: check population growth rate and increase agricultural productivity.

The country destined to have double the population now in thirty years must brace itself to confront the grim situation. The country with a mere 5.6 million people some 90 years back now has 23 million. This speaks of the speed with which the number of heads have been increasing. Herein, focus must not only go to reducing the birth and death rate but also provide everyone with the basic minimum requirements.

The government is not unaware to the situation so it has developed the necessary strategies but the only glitch is the implementation aspect. In the present Ninth Plan thrusts are being made to contain the population growth rate together with the projected goal of families adopting for a maximum of two children each. Even if this is achieved it will a great victory. Meanwhile more vigorous campaign must focus on popularising family planning methods and late marriages.

Mission

Checking population growth is a daunting task in which the people themselves must come to the fore. The local level leaders, intellectuals and educated people must make it their mission to convince the villagers to opt for small families. If this awareness is raised among the people then almost half the work is done. There is no shirking away from this particular duty for the planners as well.