Bill to provide 75% reservation in pvt. sector jobs to be introduced in Monsoon session — Dushyant

Chandigarh, Aug.21 (PTI): The Haryana government will introduce a Bill in the coming assembly session to give 75 per cent reservation in private sector jobs to the state’s youth, days after a proposed ordinance on it failed to get the governor’s assent.

Governor Satyadeo Narain Arya recently sent the ordinance approved by the Haryana government for the President’s consideration, an official said.

Bills proposing 75 per cent reservation in private sector jobs to the state’s youth and reserving 50 per cent of seats for women in Panchayati Raj Institutions will be introduced in upcoming Monsoon session of the Haryana assembly, Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala said here on Friday.

The session begins on August 26.

“We are bringing these and a few other Bills in the session starting next week, he told PTI.

The ordinance which proposes 75 per cent reservation for local candidates in private sector jobs in Haryana was approved by the state cabinet last month.

This was a key poll promise of Chautala’s Jannayak Janta Party, which is a coalition partner of the BJP in the state.

The ordinance on private sector jobs has been reserved for consideration of the President.

The cabinet, after clearing the ordinance, had sent it to the governor last month for promulgation. Under provisions of the Constitution, the governor has the powers to promulgate an ordinance when the state assembly is not in session.

When asked about the governor’s move, Chautala said that it is his prerogative.

“That is his prerogative, if he wanted to take decisions at his own level that also was his prerogative,” he said.

The deputy chief minister, however, said that since some provisions in the proposed legislation gave it “overriding effect over other laws”, the governor may have taken a call to refer the matter to the President.

He also said there was no bar in bringing the Bill and it will be introduced.

On reserving seats for women in Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs), Chautala said the state government has been taking adequate steps for ensuring maximum participation of women in PRIs.

Chautala holds the portfolios of industries, excise and taxation, rural development and panchayats.

“To give 50 per cent reservation to women in Panchayats, we will bring in a Bill in the upcoming session,” the deputy chief minister said.

Referring to the private sector jobs quota Bill, Chautala said, “Once the Bill is passed by the assembly and goes to the governor for his assent and in case, he decides to refer it to the President, we will pursue the matter.”

Defending his party’s key poll promise on 75 per cent reservation in private jobs, he said there are many other states like “Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, which have taken steps like these in the interests of their citizens”.

“We have taken care to safeguard our industry and our citizens’ interests, I think where certain skills are not required, states can make provisions in the interests of their citizens,” Chautala said.

When asked if the proposed legislation has been modelled on the lines of the law enacted by the Andhra Pradesh government, which has been challenged in court, he said, “we have a different Bill”.

“We are not going to force any industry which we cannot provide skilled labour for. We have provided space for exemptions also,” said Chautala, who also holds the labour and employment portfolio.

The proposed Haryana State Employment of Local Candidates Ordinance, 2020, provides for 75 per cent of the new employment to be given to local candidates for jobs having salary of less than Rs 50,000 per month in various privately managed companies, societies, trusts, limited liability partnership firms and partnership firms among others, situated in the Haryana.

However, employers will have the option to recruit local candidates from one district to only 10 per cent.

Exemption clauses shall also be provided if suitable local candidates are not available for a particular category of industry.

Domicile certificate would be mandatory for the candidate to take the benefit under this scheme, which would be implemented by the labour department.