In a recent development, the Karnataka government has decided to discuss a bill that focused on employment quotas in private sector firms only for locals, specifically, people from Karnataka.
The passed on Monday bill put forward a plan to necessitate firms in India’s IT capital, Bengaluru, to provide 70% of non-management and 50% of management employee recruitment to Indian nationals. But, recently, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that the bill is still a draft that is under preparation, and after due consultation, a concrete decision will be made.
The quota announcement raised an angry reaction from business leaders and the BJP-led opposition. But it was countered with words of endorsement from Union Minister Ramdas Athawale, rallying behind the positive consideration of shackling all backward classes in the private sector, too.
Following the criticism, it shifted to spell out the requirements in detail. The Labour Minister of Karnataka, Santosh Lad, who announced the plan, reportedly said that the government’s vision was to set up 50% reservation for Kannadigas in management-level jobs and 70% reservation for non-management-level jobs, and this could be open for outsiders also if the appropriate persons are not available in the state.
The policy that has been proposed is in terms of the recommendation of the Sarojini Mahishi Committee that sought the promotion of Kannadigas in the different industrial segments throughout large, medium and small-scale industries.
The controversy continues, and the Karnataka government has decided to form a second thought regarding the bill to conduct an overall evaluation.
