Kannadigas Job Reservation Bill: Karnataka Govt Halts The Bill That Reserved Jobs In Private Companies

In a major setback to Kannadigas job seekers, the Karnataka government has put the job reservation bill on hold amid backlash. In the late hours of July 17, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah officially said that a comprehensive discussion would be held in the next cabinet meeting to make a final decision over the bill.

Through his X handler, Siddaramaiah said that the job reservation bill intended to provide reservations for Kannadigas in private sector companies, industries, and enterprises is still in the preparation stage.

However, while putting the bill on hold, the CM added, "A comprehensive discussion will be held in the next cabinet meeting to make a final decision."

The announcement comes after the state government approved the bill in Monday's cabinet meeting, under which it was decided to fix 50% reservation for administrative posts and 75% for non-administrative posts for Kannadigas in private industries and other organizations of the state.

Siddaramaiah earlier on Wednesday said "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 bill sparked controversy and as per Assocham co-chairman RK Mishra, the bill was "short-sighted". As per him, if a government officer is given a job in every private company, then chances are that it will scare away Indian IT and Global Capability Centres, as reported by Times of India.

Initially, the bill that was proposed on July 15, signalled 100% reservations in C and D grade job positions for Kannadigas. However, soon after, the government revised the bill, and under the latest guidelines, all companies including industries, factories, institutions or entities in Karnataka were needed to hire 50% of local candidates for management positions, while they were required to hire about 75% for non-management positions.

This is not the first time a job reservation bill has been halted. Earlier, a somewhat similar bill was introduced by the Haryana government, which made it compulsory for companies in that region to hire about 75% of locals in private sector jobs. However, in November 2023, the bill was scrapped by Punjab and Haryana High Court.