“If skills not available, people can be outsourced”: Karnataka Labor Minister Santosh Lad

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], July 17 (ANI): After industrialists from Karnataka expressed their apprehensions about the new Bill approved by the cabinet that seeks reservation for Kannadigas in jobs, Karnataka Labor Minister Santosh S Lad clarified that if adequate skills are not available in the state people can be outsourced from other states.

“If such skills are not available, people can be outsourced and they can be given work here. But the Government is trying to bring in a law to give preference to locally available skills – if it is available here…,” Karnataka Labor Minister Santosh S Lad said speaking to ANI on Wednesday.

The Minister however pointed out that there is no dearth of talent in the state as there are adequate higher educational institutions in Karnataka.

“Karnataka has enough skilled workforce. There are so many engineering colleges, medical colleges, IT, diploma, international schools. International investments are coming in here. We are asking them to give 70 per cent of work to Kannadigas. If enough talent is not available they can bring it from outside the state….,” Lad said.

Explaining the provisions of the new Bill, Lad said, “At management (level), it has been decided to provide reservation to 50 per cent of the people. At the non-management level, it has been decided to provide work to 70 per cent…”

On the apprehensions raised by various industrialists on the new proposed legislation, Lad said that they will have a detailed consultation with them.

“They are not against the government, they are against the Bill. We respect their apprehensions and their views. We will talk to them…,” he said.

Karnataka minister Priyank Kharge also assured that there is no need to panic and said that the government will have “due consultations” with the respective ministries and the industry.

“The bill has been brought in by the Labour Department. They are yet to consult with the industry, the Minister of Industry and the Department of Information Technology. I am sure that before coming up with the rules of the bill, they will have due consultations with the respective ministries and more importantly, a wider consultation with the industry. So there is no need to panic,” Kharge said speaking to ANI on Wednesday.

Kharge said that they are going to safeguard jobs for Karnataka and encourage investments as well.

“We are going to safeguard the jobs for the state as well as encourage investments in the industries with their consultation…,” he said.

Karnataka Commerce and Industries Minister MB Patil said that they will have wide consultations, resolve the confusion and ensure that the interests of Kannadigas are protected along with those of industries.

“I have seen that many people have apprehension regarding this…We will resolve this confusion…We will sit with the CM and resolve this so that it does not have any adverse effect…,” Patil said speaking to ANI on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, the Karnataka cabinet approved a Bill that seeks to reserve 50 per cent of management jobs and 75 per cent of non-management jobs for locals in the private sector. The bill also seeks 100 per cent reservation for locals in “C&D” grade government jobs.

On Wednesday several industry leaders in the state objected to the move saying that it is “discriminatory” and raised apprehensions that the tech industry may suffer.