Karnataka: Cabinet clears bill reserving jobs for locals in industries, factories, other establishments
Karnataka cabinet has passed a bill mandating that industries, factories and other establishments have to hire 50% of local candidates in management positions and 75% in non-management positions
In a significant development, industries, factories, and other establishments in Karnataka will now have to appoint 50 per cent of local candidates in management positions and 75 per cent in non-management positions. This rule will be made mandatory and a bill to this effect has been cleared by the Karnataka cabinet on July 15.
The Karnataka cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has recently cleared a bill, Karnataka State Employment of Local Candidates in the Industries, Factories and Other Establishments Bill, 2024, which makes it compulsory to appoint a certain percentage of local candidates in management and non-management positions.
The bill is expected to be tabled in the ongoing legislature session.
Definition of a local candidate
The local candidate is defined as a person “who is born in the state of Karnataka and who is domiciled in the state for a period of 15 years and who is capable of speaking, reading and writing Kannada in a legible way and has passed a required test conducted by the nodal agency.”
Candidates who apply for these positions need 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.
If the industries and establishments are unable to find qualified or suitable local candidates they should take steps to train local candidates within three years.
If enough local candidates are not available, then an industry or factory or other establishments may apply for relaxation from the provisions of this Act to the government. The government after conducting an enquiry will give appropriate orders and that will be final.
