Karnataka government’s cabinet decision to clear a bill that mandates job quotas for local candidates in both management and non-management positions across industries, factories, and other establishments have been met with severe criticism.
Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Executive Chairperson of Biocon and Biocon Biologics, has voiced strong concerns about the Karnataka Bill that mandates a substantial portion of jobs in the private sector to be reserved for local candidates. “As a tech hub, we need skilled talent, and whilst the aim is to provide jobs for locals, we must not affect our leading position in technology by this move. There must be caveats that exempt highly skilled recruitment from this policy,” she said.
The Karnataka State Employment of Local Candidates in the Industries, Factories, and Other Establishments Bill, 2024 is set to be introduced in the ongoing legislative session.
Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas criticised the bill, calling it reactionary. He said, “This is retrograde and reactionary…a city is developed in India not by those who are born n domicile there. This is another form of fundamentalism at play.. and such parochialism will never help anyone. (sic)”
Former Infosys CFO TV Mohandas Pai condemned the bill, calling for its rejection. In a social media post, he said, “This bill should be junked. It is discriminatory, regressive, and against the constitution. Is the government to certify who we are? This is a fascist bill as in Animal Farm, unbelievable that Congress can come up with a bill like this. A government officer will sit on recruitment committees of the private sector? People have to take a language test?"
Assuring that interests of all stakeholders would be protected, Karnataka Minister for Large and Medium Industries and Infrastructure Development MB Patil emphasised the need for the state to remain competitive amid India's manufacturing and industrial revolution. "Keeping the interests of Kannadigas paramount, I will discuss this issue with the Hon'ble CM Shri Siddaramaiah, IT-BT Minister, Law Minister, and Labour Minister. We will have wider consultations. We will ensure that the interests of Kannadigas are protected, alongside those of the industries," Patil said.
He added that Karnataka was a progressive state and cannot afford to lose in this once-in-a-century race of industrialisation. "We will make sure that everyone's interests are safeguarded. The industries are assured that they need not have any fear or apprehensions and can rest assured,” Patil said.
The legislation requires that 50% of management positions and 75% of non-management positions in industries, factories, and other establishments be reserved for local candidates. Any person who holds positions of supervisory, managerial, technical, operational, administrative, and higher positions in any factory, industry, company, or establishment, excluding the directors, falls under the management category. Those involved in clerical, unskilled, semi-skilled, skilled, IT/ITES, contract, and casual work fall under the non-management category.
The bill specifies that a local candidate must be someone born in Karnataka who has been domiciled in the state for at least 15 years. Additionally, the candidate must be proficient in Kannada, capable of speaking, reading, and writing the language legibly. Candidates should have a secondary school certificate with Kannada as a language. If they do not possess this, they must pass a Kannada proficiency test conducted by a government-designated nodal agency.
