BREAKING: Siddaramaih Deletes Tweet On Karnataka Reservation Bill After Industry Backlash

Bengaluru: After facing industry backlash, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has deleted a tweet on the Karnataka reservation bill, which mandated 100% reservation for Kannadigas in Group C and D posts. "The Cabinet meeting held yesterday approved a bill to make it mandatory to hire 100 per cent Kannadigas for "C and D" grade posts in all private industries in the state. It is our government's wish that the Kannadigas should avoid being deprived of jobs in the land of Kannada and should be given an opportunity to build a comfortable life in the motherland. We are a pro-Kannada government. Our priority is to look after the welfare of Kannadigas", Karnataka CM had tweeted (Which has been deleted now). 

Industrialists Criticises Karnataka Reservation Bill

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, the Chairperson of Biocon, was the first among business leaders to respond to the decision. She stated that the policy should not affect Karnataka’s leading position in technology and called for exceptions for highly skilled recruitment.  “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 wrote on X, tagging Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar and state minister Priyank Kharge.

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw's company, Biocon, has its registered office in Bengaluru's Electronics City, an 800-acre industrial and technology hub that also houses offices of Infosys, Wipro, Tech Mahindra, and others. Biocon, a global biopharmaceutical enterprise, employs over 16,500 people.

Questioning the move, philanthropist TV Mohandas Pai said,""If you want to promote Kannadigas for jobs, spend more money on higher education. Give training to them. Spend more money on skill development. Spend more money on internships, spend more money on apprenticeship programs. So they all become skilled. Not like this. What are you trying to achieve by this?"  

Labour Minister Clarifies

Meanwhile, Labour Minister Santosh S Lad clarified, "At management (level), it has been decided to provide reservation to 50% of the people. At the non-management level, it has been decided to provide work to 70%...If such skills are not available, people can be outsourced and they can be given work here. But the Government is trying to bring in a law to give preference to locally available skills - if it is available here..."

‘Will Resolve This Confusion’

"I have seen that many people have apprehension regarding this...We will resolve this confusion...We will sit with the CM and resolve this so that it does not have any adverse effect...", said Karnataka Minister MB Patil said. 

Karnataka Reservation Bill

On the appointment of 'Local Candidates'', the bill says, "Any industry, factory or other establishments shall appoint fifty per cent of local candidates in management categories and seventy per cent in non-management categories." If the candidates do not possess secondary school certificate with Kannada as a language, they must pass a Kannada proficiency test as specified by the 'Nodal Agency', it says. If the qualified local candidates are not available, the establishments within three years with active collaboration of government or its agencies should take steps to train them, it says.

If a sufficient number of local candidates are not available, then an establishment may apply for relaxation from the provisions of this Act to the government. "Such orders passed by the Government shall be final: Provided that, the relaxation provided under this section shall not be less than 25 per cent for management category and 50 per cent for non-management categories," the proposed bill says.

Every industry or factory or other establishment should inform the nodal agency about the compliance of the provisions of this Act in such form, within such period as may be prescribed, the copy of the bill read. The role of the nodal agency will be to verify the reports furnished by an employer or occupier or manager of an establishment and submit a report to the government indicating the implementation of the provisions of this Act.

The nodal agency will have powers to call for any records information or documents in the possession of an employer or occupier or manager of an establishment for the purpose of verifying the report. The government may appoint an officer not below the rank of Assistant Labour Commissioner as the authorised officer for the purpose of compliance of the provisions of the Act.

Any employer or occupier or manager of an establishment, who contravenes the provisions of this Act, should be liable for a penalty between Rs 10,000 to Rs 25,000. "If the contravention continues after penalty has been imposed, then, with further penalty which may extend to one hundred rupees for each day till the time contravention so continues," the proposed bill says.