Jobs, training served up for SC/ST

Members will also have to disclose details on the progress in their annual reports from the next fiscal.

The adoption of the code of conduct will be ensured by an ombudsman in CII and an oversight council in ASSOCHAM. However, CII President R. Seshasayee said the industry bodies could not mandate the behaviour of individual members though it would persuade them to take affirmative action in the right earnest. He also ruled out seeking any kind of sops from the government for launching the plan.

‘‘We oppose reservation in any form as it will prove counter productive and compromise on the industry’s competitiveness. But efforts at increasing representation from SCs and STs and enhancing access and opportunity to them will be made,’’ said Dr JJ Irani, Chairman of the committee. The report is silent on OBCs and also excludes ‘creamy layer’ of the backward classes.

Further, the report states that companies will be encouraged to appoint/promote more SC/ST candidates to executive positions. ‘‘Action is not required in rural areas where the level of SC/ST employees is perhaps 90 per cent but in the mainstream where their count is still low,’’ Irani said.

The report has stressed on the importance of improving basic and higher education facilities for the dis-advantaged sections of the society and nurturing enterpreneurship skills. The private sector will establish coaching programmes to check dropout rates and 10 universities will be identified for covering 10,000 students. The 2009 target for this exercise has been set at 50 cities and 50,000 students.

Further, five scholarships in overseas universities will be set up for SC/ST students. Large companies will also create one enterpreneur from SC/ST category each year and 100 enterpreneurs will be created in the process in the first year.

‘‘It is imperative that the level of qualification be increased with the backward classes as merit cannot be compromised in any way. The stress in education will ensure that more and more candidates belonging to the backward classes will meet the benchmark for employment,’’ Irani added.

While the importance of volunatry action has been underscored time and agian in the report it does include a clause threatening ‘‘appropriate action’’ in the event of deliberate non-compliance with the proposed code of conduct. ‘‘If we come across a genuine case of negative discrimination against Sc/St candidates, then we will act accordingly,” said CII President R. Seshasayee.