The Common Minimum Programme of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance suggests that there be job reservations for scheduled castes and scheduled tribes in the private sector. Public sector companies, where reservation has been in existence for a while now, have all been implementing Voluntary Retirement Schemes. Jobs in PSUs are not growing and politicians feel the number of job opportunities available for the so-called backward castes are dwindling. The logic behind job quotas in the private sector is that scheduled castes and scheduled tribes will have greater opportunity or economic and social mobility.
Click to play videoNew Delhi: The UPA Government is very sensitive to the issue of affirmative action, including reservations in the private sector, a policy intent in UPA's Common Minimum Programme which could now remain unfulfilled.
Sources have told CNN-IBN that the Prime Minister's Office has decided not to tinker with the issue in the election year, though officially, the Government continues to maintain it is pursuing the case with the industry.
Social Justice Minister, Meira Kumar says, "We are looking into the matter and the UPA Government has to decide what to do."
The Ministry for Social Justice and Empowerment was initially entrusted with the task to implement the scheme. Later, the PMO took the matter in its own hands and a committee headed by principal secretary to the PM was formed to coordinate with the industry.
With the legislative route being ruled out in the last one year, this committee has met to get feedback from the industry on voluntary affirmative action being undertaken.
However, the progress has been slow with less than 10 per cent of the CII members accepting the voluntary code of positive discrimination and it's unlikely the Government will push this alternative for private sector quota.
Member FICCI Education Committee, Professor C S Venkat Ratnam says, "If the private sector is forced into implementing this reservation, they will also devise ways to not really employing regular employees as such. This has to be done through a voluntary route as it has been done very successfully in North America."
So the Government is now focusing on what it can do on its own. A committee of ministers on Dalit affairs — headed by External Affairs Minister, Pranab Mukherjee — has finalised 16 special schemes for Schedule Caste dominated districts to be announce soon.
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