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Jharkhand govt clears 75% quota for locals in private sector industry
Confirming the development, a minister said that the policy aims to reserve jobs for locals in the industrial units in the state.
The government of Jharkhand has approved an employment policy that requires 75 per cent of jobs in private sector industrial units to be reserved for locals, sources in the government said. The rule would be applicable for jobs up to the salary of ₹30,000 per month, officials said.
Confirming the development, a minister who was part of the cabinet meeting chaired by chief minister Hemant Soren on Friday, said on condition of anonymity that the policy aims at reserving jobs for locals in the industrial units in the state.
"The cabinet has cleared the employment policy providing for reserving seats for locals. As of now, it will be implemented in the industrial units. In due course, other sectors could also follow," said the minister.
The minister, however, refused to share the policy's blueprint, saying it will be made public at an opportune time. Sources said the chief minister is likely to make a formal announcement over the decision coming week in the ongoing budget session of the Jharkhand assembly.
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Sources said the government is unlikely to bring any bill at this stage to back the decision. "A separate Act is not required as the new features in the employment policy could be implemented through an executive order cleared by the cabinet," a source said.
Reserving jobs in the private sector was a poll promise of the ruling dispensation for the 2019 assembly election, besides increasing quota for the scheduled categories in the government jobs and educational institutions in the state in proportion to their population.
Another important decision that was taken in the cabinet meeting, sources said, was giving a nod to paying an annual unemployment allowance for the trained youths registered in the state for jobs but yet to be employed.
Reacting to the development, the opposition BJP said while they welcome any decision that is for the state’s youth, the party said they have doubts over effective implementation of such schemes of the Hemant Soren government.
“We welcome anything good for the locals. We would comment on the decision of the government only after the government comes out with the draft of the policy officially. However, we have serious doubts that these schemes would help the beneficiaries. It is likely to meet the same fate as the agricultural loan waiver announcement which has hardly benefitted the needy as yet,” said Jharkhand BJP spokesperson Pratul Shahdeo.
BJP government in Haryana has recently come up with a similar decision reserving 75 per cent of jobs in the private sector for the locals. However, the salary cap in the northern state has been kept higher.
Reacting to the upcoming policy of the Hemant Soren government, president of the Federation of Jharkhand Chamber of Commerce & Industries (FJCCI), Praveen Jain Chhabra said in-principle they were not against such a reservation policy but the government should simultaneously help in developing skilled labour force within the state.
“Basically, the labour in the industry is classified as unskilled and skilled. Most of the unskilled labours employed in the industry here are locals. As far as skilled labour goes, a certain percentage of such workforce could be from outside. We would like the government to push for setting up skill development centres, as they have also talked in the industrial policy, and help the industry in recruiting workforce locally,” said the FJCCI president.
