NHRC issues notice to Raj govt over vacant posts in Labour

Taking note of vacant Labour department posts in Rajasthan, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued a notice to the state government seeking a report on the present strength of the Labour officials in all the 33 revenue districts of the state.
According to a NHRC statement, about 160 posts of Labour Inspectors and a sizeable number of post of Labour Welfare Officers are lying vacant in Rajasthan.
The Commission has issued a notice to the Chief Secretary, Rajasthan government, and sought the details within four weeks.
Taking suo motu cognizance of the matter, Justice D Murugesan, Member of NHRC, observed that these Labour officers are meant for ensuring implementation of the provisions of the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act. Therefore, a sufficient number of Labour officers is required.

The matter came to the knowledge of Justice Murugesan while he was chairing NHRC's day-long workshop on 'Elimination of Bonded Labour' for the sensitization of various stakeholders, including senior government functionaries, in Jaipur on January 29.
The Commission has always emphasized that for effective implementation of the provisions of Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, a vigilance committee is must.
The Labour officers are members in the vigilance committee at district and sub-divisional level to identify the labourer as bonded labourer and therefore sufficient number of Labour officers should be there, said the statement.