Bengaluru’s IT boom and a decades-old job quota demand: Why Kannadiga activists are targeting firms

Kannad activists have taken their demand for private-sector job reservations to Bengaluru’s IT companies, reigniting a nearly four-decade-old debate over local employment that successive Karnataka governments have struggled to resolve.

The campaign follows complaints that qualified candidates from Karnataka were being overlooked in favour of applicants from outside the state, (PTI)As activists survey firms to scrutinise hiring practices and the representation of Kannadigas, the state government faces renewed pressure to act on the long-pending demand, even as its proposed 2024 jobs quota Bill remains on hold.

The latest campaign has been led by the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV), whose members began visiting technology companies in Bengaluru on Monday to survey employment opportunities available to Karnataka residents. The organisation has sought details of companies' workforce composition, recruitment over the past three years and the representation of Kannadigas across different job categories.

The campaign follows complaints that qualified candidates from Karnataka were being overlooked in favour of applicants from outside the state, HT reported earlier. The organisation has asked companies to provide information on their total workforce, the proportion of employees from Karnataka, recruitment figures for the previous three years and the distribution of Kannadigas across Group A, B, C and D positions.

It has also sought details of facilities available to local employees, recruitment standards, skill-development initiatives, training and internship opportunities. The campaign continued despite Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar's appeal to Kannada organisations against directly approaching IT-BT companies.

On November 4, activists visited Google's office at Ananta, Rio Business Park, in Mahadevapura and submitted their recommendations as part of the exercise. Shivakumar has urged organisations to resolve such matters through dialogue and within the framework of the law.

At a CSR conclave at Vidhana Soudha on Wednesday, he also assured businesses of protection against intimidation or harassment in the name of Kannada activism, while asking companies to continue investing and creating jobs and ensure fair opportunities for qualified Kannadigas.

Earlier, on October 25, the chief minister had said the government would take appropriate action if private institutions were found to be deliberately sidelining Kannadigas. In a post on X, he said the government had taken complaints about local candidates being overlooked seriously and that their rights, dignity and opportunities would not be compromised.

The demand for a greater share of jobs for Kannadigas dates back to 1983, when the then Karnataka chief minister Ramakrishna Hegde appointed former parliamentarian Sarojini Mahishi to head a committee examining employment opportunities for Kannadigas in government establishments, public sector undertakings (PSUs), private companies and multinational corporations.

The committee submitted an interim report in June 1984 and its final report in December 1986, making 58 recommendations. The Karnataka government accepted 45 of them, according to an Indian Express report. Among its key recommendations was 100% reservation for Kannadigas in all state government establishments and PSUs.

It also proposed 100% reservation in Group C and D jobs in central government departments and PSUs operating in Karnataka, along with minimum reservations of 80% in Group B and 65% in Group A positions in these establishments.

The committee further recommended that personnel officers in industrial units in the state should invariably be Kannadigas and that industries should give priority to local candidates. Despite the state government's acceptance of 45 recommendations, the report has not been fully implemented.

The report has continued to feature in demands by pro-Kannada organisations, particularly over employment opportunities in private industries and multinational companies. In September 2024, Kannada Development Authority chairman Dr Purushotham Bilimale said only 14 of the report's 58 recommendations could be implemented in the present circumstances, with the others having become outdated due to political and economic changes.

He also stressed the need for legislation to ensure employment opportunities for Kannadigas, the report added. The latest campaign has also brought renewed attention to the Karnataka government's attempt to introduce legislation reserving private-sector jobs for local candidates.

In July 2024, the Siddaramaiah-led Cabinet approved the Karnataka State Employment of Local Candidates in the Industries, Factories and Other Establishments Bill, 2024. The proposed legislation sought to reserve 50% of management positions and 70% to 75% of non-management positions for local candidates.

It also proposed 100% reservation in Group C and D posts in private establishments and industries. However, the government put the draft legislation on hold following strong opposition from industry representatives, particularly those from the IT sector.

Industry bodies raised concerns about its potential impact on recruitment, business operations and investment in Karnataka. The Bill was never introduced for passage in the legislature.