Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced on Thursday that his government has decided to withhold the bill proposing job reservation for Kannadigas in the private sector due to "certain confusion." The bill will be discussed in the next cabinet meeting to address the issues raised.
During a session in the Karnataka Assembly, Siddaramaiah explained, “On Monday, we could not complete the discussion on the bill in the cabinet meeting, and media reports emerged by then. There was some confusion, which we will resolve in the next cabinet meeting. Let’s have a detailed discussion.”
The Chief Minister’s comments came in response to Leader of the Opposition R Ashoka’s demand for clarification on the state government’s position regarding the bill. Ashoka criticised Siddaramaiah for changing his stance on the social media platform ‘X’ three times, accusing him of mismanagement.
Ashoka recalled that Siddaramaiah initially announced 100% job reservation for Kannadigas in the private sector, then revised it to 50% for management and 70% for non-management positions, and finally put the bill on hold. He labelled the situation as indicative of a “Tughlaq government” in Karnataka.
In his rebuttal, Siddaramaiah defended his administration, saying, “There is no Tughlaq government here, but Siddaramaiah’s government. We will address the bill in the next cabinet meeting.”
The Karnataka State Employment of Local Candidates in the Industries, Factories and Other Establishments Bill, 2024, which was cleared by the cabinet on Monday, mandates that private firms reserve 50% of management and 70% of non-management positions for Kannadigas.
The bill stipulates that candidates must possess a secondary school certificate with Kannada as a language or pass a Kannada proficiency test conducted by a designated ‘Nodal Agency’. This agency will have the authority to request records and impose penalties ranging from Rs 10,000 to Rs 25,000 for non-compliance.
The proposed bill faced backlash from the industry, with NASSCOM warning that companies might relocate from Karnataka. In response, ministers assured businesses that their interests would be protected. PTI
Published: 18 Jul 2024, 06:24 pm IST
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