PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Sardar Mehtab Ahmed Khan Thursday approved provincial assembly's unanimously passed bill for abolition of bonded labour system from the province.
In a notification issued here by provincial assembly secretariat said the bill would now be published as provincial legislature act. It is to mention here that KP Assembly has recently passed a bill prohibiting bonded labour system in the province to prevent the economic and physical exploitation of the workers.
The bill, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act 2015 is come come into force at once in the whole province repealing the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1992 (Act No III of 1992). The basic objective of the bill is to prohibit slavery and debt bondage in all of its manifestations and regulating matters leading to debt bondage of workers.
The law relating to the prohibition of debt bondage has been devolved to the province in the wake of 18th Constitutional Amendment 2010.
It said no person shall make any advance under, or in pursuance of, the bonded labour system or compel any person to render bonded or forced labour; any custom or tradition, practice or contract and agreement making a person or his family member bound to work or render service as a bonded labourer shall be void and inoperative.
The bill said liability to repay bonded debt to stand extinguished; no advance shall be extended or taken for extracting or rendering any labour under bonded labour system; property of bonded labour to be freed from mortgage; and creditor not to accept payment against extinguished debt.
The bill also mentioned the authorities to be specified for implementing the provisions of the act; duty of the authorised officers, inspectors, maintenance and production of records, punishment for enforcement of bonded labour, punishment for extracting bonded labour, punishment for omission or failure to restore possession of property to bonded labourer, punishment for obstructing inspector and abetment to be an officer. It also said vigilance committees shall be set up at the district level and a 1st class magistrate shall try an offence under this act.
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