100% reservation for Kannadigas in pvt jobs sparks row

A massive row has erupted over the Karnataka government’s recent approval of a bill that will reserve 100% of certain grade posts for locals in the private sector. The Karnataka Cabinet on July 16 approved a new bill titled, Karnataka State Employment of Local Candidates in the Industries, Factories, and Other Establishments Bill, 2024, which mandates reservation for ‘Kannadigas’: 50% in management positions, 75% in non-management roles and of 100% in C & D grade posts. The bill is yet to be tabled in the ongoing Karnataka assembly session.

While the post by CM Siddaramaiah that sparked the discussion has been deleted now, a post by INC congress on social media platform X says, “The jobs created in Karnataka should go to Kannadigas, realising that most of the private companies that use Karnataka's resources are giving more jobs to foreign speakers, the cabinet has approved the proposal to give reservation to Kannadigas in the jobs of private companies.”

“The mission of the Congress government is to look after the welfare of the Kannadigas,” the post adds.

Another post by the Karnataka CM avoided the mention of 100% reservation reported earlier and stated, “The cabinet meeting held on Monday approved the bill to fix 50% reservation for administrative posts and 75% for non-administrative posts for Kannadigas in private industries and other organisations of 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 allowed to build a comfortable life in the motherland. We are a pro-Kannada government. Our priority is to look after the welfare of the Kannadigas,” the post adds.

The Bill reportedly defines a local candidate as someone born in Karnataka, domiciled for at least 15 years, and fluent in Kannada. Candidates must have a secondary school certificate with Kannada or pass a Kannada proficiency test. If qualified local candidates are unavailable, industries and establishments, in collaboration with the government, must train local candidates within three years. If still insufficient, companies may apply for relaxation, with at least 25% for management roles and 50% for non-management roles. In the Karnataka Public Service Commission, Grades A and B are management roles, while Grades C and D include lower-level posts like clerks, lab technicians, and pharmacists.

With more than 70,000 posts on X, the issue is currently hotly debated on all social media platforms. Condemning the bill, NASSCOM, in its press statement released this evening, says, “Tech sector contributes to almost 25% of the state GDP, and has played a key role in enabling higher growth for the state. It’s deeply disturbing to see this kind of bill which not only hampers the growth of the industry, impacts jobs and the global brand of the state.”

“NASSCOM members are seriously concerned about the provisions of this bill and urge the state government to withdraw the bill,” the statement adds.

Biocon founder Kiran Majumdar Shaw criticised the government in a post on her social media profile on X. “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,” Shaw says.

“This bill should be junked. It is discriminatory, regressive and against the constitution. This is a fascist bill as in Animal Farm,” says Padma Shri Awardee and former CFO of Infosys, Mohandas Pai reacting to the move.

Karnataka IT Minister in an interview responded to the criticism saying, “They (Department of Labour, Karnataka) are yet to consult with the industry, the Minister of Industry and the Department of Information Technology.”

“There is no need to panic. We are going to safeguard the jobs for the state as well as encourage investments in the industries with their consultation,” he added.

This is not the first time a state has proposed private sector job reservation for locals, Haryana in 2020 enacted a similar law which was later struck down by the Haryana High Court in 2023, Andhra Pradesh became the first state to enact the 75% reservation law for locals in private sector jobs in 2019. The Karnataka bill will severely impact many companies in India's Silicon Valley, Bengaluru. According to 2011 Census data from the Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, over 50% of Bangalore residents are classified as "migrants".