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PM sets up committee for reservation in pvt sector
The committee will submit an interim report within six months followed by a final report, reports Aloke Tikku.
In a move to lend thrust to the national dialogue on affirmative action, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday decided to constitute a committee to identify "concrete steps" to be taken to ensure that the private sector fulfils the aspirations of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe youth.
The committee chaired by Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, TKA Nair, would be tasked to submit its interim report within six months and a final report within a year.
Several chambers of commerce including the Confederation of Indian Industry had earlier responded sharply to the threat of legislation to force them to introduce quotas in the private sector.
They did, however, come around to the desirability of affirmative action; the JJ Irani committee set up by the industry had drawn up an action-plan that outlined India Inc. role, especially in education, skill enhancement and entrepreneurship development.
An official spokesman said the Prime Minister has decided to constitute the "coordination committee to take forward the process of consultations to explore the "best way to see that the private sector fulfils the aspirations of SC and ST youth".
The broad three-point terms of reference for the committee headed by Nair Monday indicates the government would prefer working with India Inc. rather than take an adversarial position.
Besides Nair, the committee would have secretaries of the departments of social justice and empowerment, personnel and training, tribal affairs and industrial policy and promotion.
The spokesman said the committee would ensure time-bound examination of the suggestions and action points received from various stakeholders, evolve and identify concrete measures arising out these suggestions and their implementation and suggest ways and means of government assistance and support to the implementation process.
A Group of Ministers constituted by the UPA government in August 2004 to hold consultations with the industry had thrown the ball back in the government’s court; legal experts had pointed it out to the GoM that a Constitutional amendment would be needed before the government could move Parliament to enact a law introducing reservations in the private sector.
