To give more job opportunities to Kannadigas in the private sector, the Siddaramaiah government has come up with a new move and approved a bill mandating reservations for locals in the private sector in Karnataka. The bill mandates 50% quota in management positions and 75% in non-management positions. Karnataka IT Minister Priyank Kharge has addressed and clarified that while the bill was proposed by the labour department, consultations with the Department of Industry and Information Technology are yet to take place. He said, "The clauses of the bill is a suggestion if the industry feels it's not required we'll look at it.”
The decision of the Karnataka government has got a huge backlash from the industry. Announcing the decision, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah wrote on X that the state cabinet approved a bill on Monday to make the recruitment of 100% Kannadigas mandatory for lower-grade (Group 'C and D') posts in all private industries in the state. However, the Chief Minister deleted the post amid the backlash. Prominent industry leaders have criticized the Congress government's decision to reserve jobs for Kannadigas in Karnataka, calling the move ‘discriminatory’. However, the draft of the bill does not mention the 100 percent reservation for Group C and D posts. Siddaramaiah clarified, "The cabinet meeting was held on Monday, and the cabinet approved the bill." Siddaramaiah called his government “pro-Kannada” and stated that its priority is to “look after the welfare of Kannadigas”. This bill covers the entire private sectors, including the IT sector.
The new Bill defines a local candidate as a person who is born in Karnataka, resided in the state for 15 years, and is capable of speaking, reading, and writing Kannada legibly. The candidates must have a secondary school certificate with Kannada as a language. If not, they should pass a Kannada proficiency test, as specified by the nodal agency notified by the government, the Bill states. If qualified local candidates are not available, the industries and establishments, in collaboration with the government, should take steps to train local candidates within three years. If a sufficient number of local candidates are still not available, companies may apply for relaxation. However, the relaxation provided shall not be less than 25% for management categories and 50% for non-management categories, the Bill mandates. After receiving