CII urges Haryana to reconsider quota for locals in private sector; cites PM Modi's vision

In a key development on Wednesday, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) requested the Haryana government to reconsider the law which reserves 75% of jobs in the private sector for local candidates. After Governor Satyadev Narayan Arya approved The Haryana State Employment of Local Candidates Act, 2020 on February 28, the state government notified the law a day earlier. While a bill in this regard was originally passed in the state Assembly on November 5, 2020, the Governor sought some clarification pertaining to its constitutional validity. According to CII Director General Chandrajit Banerjee, such reservation impacts productivity and competitiveness. 

CII Director General Chandrajit Banerjee remarked, "At a time when it is important to attract investments at the state level, the Haryana government could have avoided imposing restrictions on industry". He added, "We hope the state government of Haryana relooks at the legislation. With Prime Minister's vision of 'Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat', we look forward to an integrated and mobile labour market within the country". 

Read: Congress Questions BJP-JJP Government Over 75% Job Reservation In Haryana

Here are the provisions of the new law:

• This law shall cease to have effect on the expiry of 10 years from the date of its commencement
• Every employer shall register employees receiving a monthly salary of not more than Rs.50,000 on the designated portal within three months of coming into force of this law
• Every employer shall employ 75% of local candidates in jobs where the monthly salary is not more than Rs.50,000
• The employer has the option of restricting the recruitment of local candidates from any district to 10% of the total number of local candidates
• The employer can claim exemption from these provisions if an adequate number of local candidates having the desired skill and proficiency are not available
• The designated officer can either reject or accept this claim or direct the employer to train local candidates accordingly
• While an employer shall file a quarterly report on the local candidates employed and appointed during the quarter, an authorised officer can pass any order for complying with the objectives of this Act after examining this report
• An employer aggrieved by the order of either the designated officer or the authorised officer can appeal within a period of 60 days
• The guilty persons will have to pay a fine ranging from Rs.10,000 to Rs.5,00,000 besides the imposition of a daily penalty till the time contravention is continued
• No court inferior to that of a Metropolitan Magistrate or a Judicial Magistrate of the First Class can try offences punishable under this Act

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