Affirmative action only way to grow: Oscar to industry

Labour Minister Oscar Fernandes today said affirmative action was the only way to reconcile the two Indias""one which is growing fast and the other which is backward and poor.

Fernandes was speaking at a seminar organised by the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) on employee relations and human resource development strategies.

Congratulating industry for moving towards a more people-oriented employment policy, Fernandes said for a more rapid growth, industry would have to open its doors to the weaker sections, especially scheduled castes and scheduled tribes (SCs/STs).

"Twenty-five per cent of the populations is still poor; 97 per cent of our working force is still in the unorganised sector, 22 per cent of our population belongs to the weaker sections," he said. "We are living in an ivory tower," he added.

SR Siddiqui, convener, CII sub-group on affirmative action and chief general manager (HR), Maruti Udyog Limited said the industry's response to the call for affirmative action had been favourable.

He said the country's socially and economically underprivileged SCs/STs had not been able to realise their potential due to centuries-old social discrimination.