GoM waits for A-G advice on pvt sector quota

The Government is exploring the possibility of instituting a legislation to ensure reservations for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in the private sector. Minister for Agriculture Sharad Pawar, who today headed a meeting of the Group of Ministers set up to look into the issue, said the legislation would be ‘‘as per the Constitution’’ and that the advice of the Attorney-General and two other experts was awaited.

Pawar’s statement comes after a letter was written by industry leaders, including Ratan Tata, to the Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Meira Kumar, also a member of the GoM. The letter said: ‘‘We are reassured to learn from the Government that it has no intention of resorting to legislative action to impose a statutory obligation of reservations on industry.’’

‘‘We are expecting their report in two-three weeks and after that the GoM will meet again,’’ he said. No decisions were taken at today’s meeting.

The industry, which is opposed to any kind of reservation for jobs in the private sector, has offered skill upgradation to these sections and also said that they would expand their current activities for SC/ST with regard to scholarships, company-run private schools, partnership with government schools, vocational training and vendor development programmes.