Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah fuels job quota debate, pleads for reservation in pvt sector

Bengaluru: Days after his government unveiled plans to introduce 100 per cent local quota for blue-collar jobs, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah today said it is high time to think about reservation in private sector and it should be achieved through debate and dialogue.

"It is high time to think about reservation in private sector. It should be achieved through debate and dialogue," he said at the Ninth National Conference of the Indian Association of Lawyers here.

The Siddaramaiah government has kicked up a row inviting criticism from various sections of society over its plans to give 100 per cent reservation for Kannadigas in all private sector industries, barring IT and biotechnology firms, which avail concessions under the state industrial policy.

Several industry captains have pointed out that introducing reservations could create hurdles in growth due to dearth in skilled labour and hurt chances of attracting investments in the state.

The draft amendments to the Karnataka Industrial Employment (Standing orders) Rules, 1961, providing for 100 per cent "horizontal reservation" for Kannadigas has recently been thrown open to the public for objections or suggestions.

Siddaramaiah also said the need of the hour was to provide education, secure employment, housing and health facilities for the oppressed and underprivileged classes, without any further loss of time.

"Our government has realised the same and taken various positive steps in this direction," he added.

Siddaramaiah said his government took the decision to conduct door-to-door social and educational survey of people of the state in January 2014.

"The same is executed by the State Commission for Backward Classes. The data is awaited from the Commission. This exercise is the first of its kind since 1931," he said.

He said the idea behind the survey was to collect the current demographic data and various aspects relating to living?conditions of people and accordingly configure developmental policies and programmes to achieve an egalitarian society through socio-economic justice.

"On several occasions judicial pronouncements by our respected judiciary also pointed out the need for collection of updated empirical data by conducting survey of the entire populace to decide whether the reservations in favour of OBC groups are proportionate or not," he said.