Govt in favour of ‘affirmative action’ in pvt sector

Government on Monday said it was in favour of "affirmative action" for backward classes in the private sector but refused to commit on having quotas for them.

Government on Monday said it was in favour of “affirmative action” for backward classes in the private sector but refused to commit on having quotas for them.

Addressing the Social Editors Conference,Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Mukul Wasnik said,”government has not made any statement that reservation will be given in the private sector. Though it has spoken about taking affirmative action on the issue and has asked the private sector to fulfill its social responsibility in this direction.”

The minister added that “in case of reservation,only affirmative action was suggested to private sector by the government for giving the backward classes better opportunities. My ministry had started consultations and currently there is a committee under Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) and also a coordination committee under Prime Minister’s Principle Secretary,which are taking the issue forward”.

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Wasnik said industry bodies like CII,ASSOCHAM and FICCI have adopted a code of conduct for corporate sector on the issue,which their members voluntarily follow.

To a query on whether the government will take any steps on reservation for backward communities in the media,Wasnik quipped that “it is something where only (media) you can do something on this,I am unable to answer this question.”

On the issue of sub-categorisation of castes,the minister said his ministry was “looking at various issues involved. It is not on the backburner,it is an important issue and we will look at all dimensions”.

He also said the government will soon take a decision on filling up the post of Chairman of National Commission for Backward Castes. The body has been headless since the last four months.

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“It is a priority area for us and shortly a decision will be taken on it,” Wasnik said.

The minister also accepted that except for Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh,majority of states have not been able to rehabilitate manual scavengers.

“The states where problem (of rehabilitating scavengers) persists include Meghalaya,Bihar,Jharkhand,Uttar Pradesh,Madhya Pradesh,Maharashtra,Gujarat,Rajasthan,Orissa,Tamil Nadu and Uttarakhand. As per latest reports,Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh are the two states which have completely rehabilitated people involved in manual scavenging,” Wasnik said.

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