BJP exposed on 80% local quota in jobs; but why are the outsiders coming?
GOANEWS DESK, PANAJI | 18 March 2016 20:54 IST
BJP government had its foot in the mouth today on the announcement of providing 80 per cent jobs for locals in the private sector, with Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar admitting that it cannot be enforced legally.
After coming to the rescue of labour minister Avertano Furtado and dodging persistent questioning by Congress MLA Vishwajeet Rane, the CM finally admitted that law of the land does not permit penalising the industry for not employing locals.
The issue of ‘jobs for locals’ was discussed threadbare in the Assembly today, first when Rane asked the question in this regard and then while discussing independent MLA Vijai Sardesai’s resolution.
His resolution demanding 80% jobs for locals in private sector was later defeated by voice vote as Sardesai refused to withdraw it.
GOVT IMPARTING SKILLED TRAINING
CM Parsekar as well as Industries Minister Mahadev Naik said they are taking all the possible efforts to employ locals in the industries, even by imparting skill training to Goan youth.
“500 women are being trained in my Shiroda constituency for a readymade garments unit coming up there and 1500 more would be trained”, Naik informed the House.
Parsekar also told the House that the government has concentrated on Pharma, Health and Aviation sectors for training the local youth, envisaging the job potential.
It’s a precondition to clear any project coming before the Investment Promotion Board, he said, while a committee headed by the industries minister visits the industrial units, asking for employment for locals.
“Nestle and Cipla have already agreed while breweries project at Sanguem would also employ 80% locals,” Naik assured the House.
BJP legislator Pramod Sawant demanded that Human Resource Development Corporation be set up to streamline these efforts in a more organised manner.
SKILLED GOANS GO OUT, UNSKILLED COME IN
However, while discussing the question raised by Junior Rane, Parsekar had to admit that the labour department has no enforcement mechanism or legal weapon to enforce the condition of 80% jobs for locals.
“We can put a clause of 15 years domicile for government jobs, but not in the private sector”, admitted the chief minister.
Sardesai, at this, demanded to develop institutional mechanism but did not suggest what it should be.
His question was simple: “why bring such industries which cannot give jobs to locals?”
Supporting his contention, former CM Digambar Kamat said it is not fair that the industry brings labour from outside when the outsider industrialist is provided all kind of amenities at his doorstep.
“Goans are not prepared to do the unskilled job available in these industries while the top executive manpower is hired from outside. Goan youth, largely girls, are employed only in semi-skilled sector”, he observed.
MGP legislator Lavoo Mamledar disagreed with the observation, stating that total executive staff in the MRF is Goan, which means Goans are capable of doing this job, but subsequent industries did not adopt this formula.
Rane as well as BJP MLA Kiran Kandolkar however contested this argument, stating that industrialists bring outside labour by refusing jobs to the locals, mainly because the outside labour is cheap.
“How does the government allow registration of these outsider contractors who bring truckloads of labour from Bihar, Odisha and Jharkhand”, he asked.
Kandolkar said hordes of labourers also come from Konkan across the Goa border, bypassing Goan youth who is ready to work.
WHY CONG DIDN’T DO IT?
Discussions also went political for a while with Dr Sawant asking why these concerns of the opposition were not addressed during the erstwhile Congress regimes.
CM Parsekar, in an attempt to stop Vishwajeet Rane, recalled how security men from outside were recruited everywhere including the health department.
BJP legislator Siddharth Kuncalienker in fact congratulated his party government for recruiting Goan boys as security men.
According to him, opposition was playing hypocritical by opposing industries and even Defence Expo but crying for jobs for locals.
“How can locals get jobs if you oppose each and every project”, he asked.
He also observed that Goan skilled labour is not unemployed and some of them are taking up self-employment through Chief Minister’s Rojgar Yojana.
In order to counter these arguments, independent MLA Rohan Khaunte asked why the BJP has not implemented till date its assurance of minimum subsistence allowance to the unemployed youth.
There was no reply.
