K’taka to move Bill mandating quota for locals in private jobs

BENGALURU: The Karnataka cabinet has approved a Bill mandating 100 per cent reservation for Kannadigas in private firms for Group C and Group D posts, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said on Tuesday.

The CM said the decision was taken in the cabinet meeting held on Monday. “The cabinet meeting held yesterday approved a bill to make recruitment of 100 per cent Kannadigas mandatory for ‘C and D’ grade posts in all private industries in the State,” Siddaramaiah said in a social media post.

He said it was his government’s wish that Kannadigas be given an opportunity to lead a comfortable life in their state and not be deprived of jobs in ‘Kannada land’. “We are a pro-Kannada government. Our priority is to look after the welfare of Kannadigas,” the Chief Minister said.

The Karnataka State Employment of Local Candidates in the Industries, Factories and Other Establishments Bill is likely to be tabled on Thursday.

Media reports from Karnataka said 50 per cent of jobs in the management category - supervisory, managerial, technical, operational, administrative and higher positions should be reserved for local candidates. Also employers are expected to reserve 75 per cent of non-management category jobs - clerical, unskilled, semi-skilled, employees in IT and ITeS firms, contract and casual workers, reports said.

The government has defined ‘local candidate’ as a person born in the State, residing there for 15 years, capable of speaking, reading and writing Kannada in a legible way, and has passed a test conducted by a nodal agency. The Kannada proficiency test will be applicable only to those who did not study the language in high school.