The Karnataka government on Wednesday put on hold a bill which seeks job reservation for Kannadigas in private firms after massive backlash. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said a final decision will be taken after comprehensive discussion in the next cabinet meeting.
"The bill approved by the Cabinet to provide reservation for Kannadigas in private sector organisations, industries and enterprises has been temporarily put on hold. This will be revisited and decided in the coming days," the chief minister’s office said in a statement on X.
"The bill intended to implement reservation for Kannadigas in private sector institutions, industries and enterprises is still in the preparation stage. A final decision will be taken after comprehensive discussion in the next cabinet meeting,” Siddaramaiah said in a separate post.
The Karnataka cabinet cleared the State Employment of Local Candidates in the Industries, Factories and Other Establishments Bill, 2024 on Monday. As per the bill, any industry, factory or other establishments should appoint 50 per cent of local candidates in management categories and 70 per cent in non-management categories.
The bill further stipulates that if the candidates do not have secondary school certificates with Kannada as a language, they would have to pass a Kannada proficiency test.
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The bill drew widespread criticism with industry leaders and tech majors arguing that job quota for locals will lead to Bengaluru losing the skilled talent.
Earlier in the day, Karnataka Infrastructure Development and Medium and Heavy Industries Minister M.B. Patil had issued a statement, saying the government will have wider consultations to protect the interests of Kannadigas as well as industries.
"Keeping the interests of Kannadigas paramount, I will discuss this issue with Chief Minister 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,” he said.
"Karnataka is a progressive state, and we 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,” he further said.
