Bangalore, July 14: Opposition BJP today staged a walkout in the Karnataka legislative assembly protesting the government's move "to privatise employment exchanges" and alleging irregularites in awarding the contract to a private firm. BJP members led by their leader Jagadish Shettar charged that there was a "deal" between the government and a private agency, which has been entrusted with task of providing a "smart card" to the unemployed who would register with it.
Shettar, Kattasubramaniam Naidu, P H Poojar, S Suresh Kumar and others alleged that Reo Technologies, which was registering the unemployed youth, had been charging Rs 100 for issue of smart card, which, they said, was high and put the poor to inconvenience. Minister for labour Quamarul Islam said the government had taken up privatisation only in six districts as a pilot project and denied opposition allegations of irregularities.

He said 18.65 lakh unemployed youth were on the rolls of the employment exchange and in the last three years, 15,977 people had been provided with employment.

Government, he said, was prepared to bring in a legislation making it mandatory for government departments to recruit through employment exchange, a practice which has been given the go-by since 1996.
Dissatisfied with the reply, the BJP members trooped out of the house.
Bureau Report