Jharkhand House clears Bill for 75% quota for locals
Part of: Prelims and GS – II – Policies and interventions
Context The Jharkhand Assembly passed a Bill, which provides 75% reservation for locals in private sector jobs with a monthly salary of up to Rs. 40,000.
Once notified, Jharkhand will become the third State, after Andhra Pradesh and Haryana, to pass such a law.
Key takeaways
‘The Jharkhand State Employment of Local Candidates Bill, 2021’ was tabled in the House in March but was later referred to a six-member select committee.
It was named ‘The Jharkhand State Employment of Local Candidates in Private Sector Bill, 2021’.
The monthly salary cap was increased from Rs. 30,000 to Rs. 40,000.
Every employer shall register such employees receiving gross monthly salary as wages not more than Rs. 40,000 on the designated portal
Concerns with regard to the bill
If skilled personnel are not available for the jobs at hand, these industrial units cannot ‘import’ labourers from elsewhere; the burden of imparting the requisite skills to, and of employing, locals will fall on the units.
It will almost certainly push up the cost of doing business in such geographical entities that embrace this policy, and make a mockery of the concept of the ‘Indian Common Market’, which rests on the foundational premise of unfettered labour mobility.
Significantly, a reservation for local populations is also a violation of the constitutionally guaranteed right of every citizen to work, live and move freely within the country.
