Jharkhand Does A Haryana, Reserves 75 Percent Jobs In Private Sector For Locals
Jharkhand has become the latest Indian state to make the place of birth of the candidate more important for a job than merit.
On Friday, the Jharkhand Cabinet approved an employment policy requiring private sector units to reserve 75 per cent of jobs (up to a salary of Rs 30,000 per month) for local people.
Move aimed at appeasing tribal people
According to reports, the move is aimed at appeasing the tribal people, which makes up a large section of the state's population. The government says that the tribal people have always neglected.
According to the Economic Survey, the unemployment rate in Jharkhand rose to 59.2% during the lockdown in May 2020 and improved to 11.3% in January 2021.?
Though the policy has not been officially announced, chief minister Hemant Soren had indicated the same in New Delhi earlier this week.
The move comes even as Jharkhand is trying to woo more investors to the state, especially in the mineral sector.
Earlier this month, the Haryana government had introduced a similar policy change under which 75 percent of jobs in the private sector were reserved for locals.
Haryana did the same
Unlike in Jharkhand, the Haryana State Employment Of Local Candidates Bill, 2020, provide a quota for local people in private-sector jobs that offer a monthly salary of less than Rs 50,000.?
The quota will initially apply for 10 years and covers private companies, societies, trusts and partnership firms, among others, in the state.?
The move by Haryana, which is home to some of the biggest tech and manufacturing companies, in India and beyond triggered a nationwide debate.?
Those opposed to the move argued that such quotas will undermine merit and undermine the quality of the workforce.
They also feared that it will encourage other states to pass similar legislation in favour of their own population.
Many including the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) had criticized the move and asked the BJP government to review its decision.
There is also a growing fear the if the government goes ahead with the plan, there will be an exodus of companies from cities like Gurugram to Delhi or Noida.
Interestingly, another state that is also home to many big tech companies, Karnataka had in 2020 made a similar announcement, but it has not come into effect yet.
In Andhra Pradesh, too the assembly had in 2019 passed a bill to impose 75% quota for locals in private industrial jobs, making it the first state to take such a step.
