Karnataka: Congress govt mulls 100% job reservation in private sector for Kannadigas

Bengaluru: The Congress government in Karnataka is mulling 100 percent reservation for Kannadigas in all private sector industries in the state, barring IT and biotechnology firms, which avail concessions under the state industrial policy. The draft amendments to the Karnataka Industrial Employment (Standing orders) Rules, 1961, providing for 100 per cent “horizontal reservation” for Kannadigas has been thrown open to the public for objections or suggestions. [caption id=“attachment_3169066” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Karnataka Chief Minister Siddharamiah. PTI[/caption] Also, the draft amendments call for providing not less than five per cent of employment to persons with disabilities to get government incentives. “Every industrial establishment which has obtained  concession of land, water, electricity or tax rebate or  deferment of tax as per state industrial policy shall provide  horizontal reservation of 100 per cent in employment to local people (Kannadigas) in case of workmen classified in sub- clause (a),(b),(c),(d),(e),(f) and (g) and above,” the  notification on the draft rules read. “Every industrial establishment shall provide not less than five per cent of employment to persons with disabilities in case of workmen classified in sub clause (a), (b), (c), (d), (e), (f) and (g) and above in order to get incentives from government,” it added. Official sources, however, said IT/ITeS/BT/start-ups/ knowledge-based industries are exempted from the applicability of Karnataka Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Rules for five years. According to the notification, local people or Kannadiga means any person born in Karnataka or who has lived in the state for not less than 15 years and knows to read, write, speak and understand Kannada. A person with disabilities means any person with disabilities as defined in the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995. The rules that may be called Karnataka Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) (Amendment) Rules, 2016 shall come into force from the date of their final publication in the official gazette.