Decoded: Why did Karnataka introduce 70% quota for locals in private jobs

The now paused bill mandated a 50 per cent quota for administrative roles and a 75 per cent quota for non-administrative roles in the private sector for the locals, triggering a massive row

The Karnataka government led by Siddaramaiah on Wednesday evening decided to pause the employment quota Bill for locals in the private sector after the move invited much criticism from industry leaders and the general public.

Earlier that day, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to announce that his government held a cabinet meeting on Monday, in which it was decided to approve the Bill mandating a 50 per cent quota for administrative roles and 75 per cent quota for non-administrative roles in the private sector.

 

The draft bill intended to provide reservations for Kannadigas in private sector companies, industries, and enterprises is still in the preparation stage.

A comprehensive discussion will be held in the next cabinet meeting to make a final decision.

— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) July 17, 2024

What is the controversy over Karnataka job quota Bill for locals?

This clarification from the Congress CM followed hours after he deleted an earlier post of his on the same social media platform. The now-deleted post, shared on Tuesday, read that Monday’s cabinet meeting has decided to introduce a bill for 100 per cent reservation for the local Kannadigas in ‘C’ and ‘D’ grade roles in the private sector.

Soon after, the announcement invited sharp criticism from industry leaders such as Biocon’s Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, who urged the government to reconsider the Bill. They argued that such a bill would hamper the growth of the IT sector and was ‘discriminatory’ in nature.

As the pressure mounted on the government, Siddaramaiah posted a fresh update on the bill late evening, saying it is still in the preparation stage. “A final decision will be taken after comprehensive discussion in the next cabinet meeting,” Siddaramaiah’s latest X post said.

The Bill needs to be passed in the state Assembly to become a law.

What drove the Siddaramaiah government to introduce a job quota for locals?

According to political analyst Sandeep Shastri, the decision is in response to the growing calls for greater local protectionism. “For a few years now, the sentiment in some urban parts of the state has been for greater local protectionism,” he said, citing the developments such as bigger name boards appearing in Kannada language.

In recent years, there have been increased instances of pro-Kannada activists taking to the streets to destroy English sign boards outside shops and other public places in Bengaluru and other cities.

Groups like Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV) and others have been in the news for vandalism and protests over their demand for minimal use of English while promoting the use of native language in banners, billboards and signboards. In December, a major protest had broken out on this issue, prompting the Bengaluru-based businesses to raise their concerns about safety with the government.

60% signage in Kannada language rule

After multiple such protests, the Bengaluru civic body, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), issued a notice to commercial establishments, directing them to apply 60 per cent signage rules in Kannada language. The Kannada Language Comprehensive Development (Amendment) Act, 2024 was introduced by the government in January this year to implement this rule.

A February deadline was set for implementing this law, after which the Retailers Association of India moved to the Karnataka High Court in March, seeking protection from action against violation of the rule.

In an interim order passed on March 20, the court directed the state not to take any ‘precipitative action’ like shutting down business establishments for failing to adopt the rule.