Quota In Jobs Will Help Industrial Growth:CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy

Amaravati, July 24: The Andhra Pradesh Employment of Local Candidates in Industries/Factories Bill 2019 comes as a boon to locals and sweeps like a whiff of fresh air as the youth will have a lion’s share in the industries that are to come up in the State, but at the same, the fears of negativity on various counts does not hold currency as the policy is investment friendly and flexible.

Intervening during the debate on the Bill here on Wednesday, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy said that the Bill will provide 75 % reservation to locals in the industries that would be coming and categorically stated that the Bill will help the growth of industries and has negated the adverse publicity by detractors on the policy.

We will not fall prey to the vested interests that are pumping story after story that this Bill will hamper the industrialization. On the contrary it will help the growth of industries and when an industry comes up it changes the economic standards of the locals.

The captains of the industry and the Skill Development Centres to come up in the Engineering Colleges of all the 25 Parliament Constituencies will script industrial revolution by creating jobs, skilled labour and increasing the standard of living of the people.

The biggest incentive the industry gets is that ours is a corruption free state and the governance is transparent. We are balancing industry and welfare and there is every reason for the industrialization to increase.

The industry should take care of the locals who had given up land and should increase the perimeter as and when the scale of industry increases. As the locals accept the vagaries of industrialization, they should be given first preference and our government policy is to promote industries and provide employment to the youth, he said.

The Industries Minister Mekapati Gowtham Reddy said, what we are undergoing is the third wave of reforms and it is a worldwide phenomenon. If we miss the bus, we will be left out and the social aspect should also be considered for industrialization.

Developed nations like the US and UK are talking in terms of jobs to locals and are taking steps to match social wellness with jobs and we cannot be different. From the licence raj to the liberalization the nation is on the move and we need to go with the wind and take up reforms which speak of jobs for locals and industrialization.

The Bill, which was passed in the State Legislative Assembly, enables locals to get a 75 % reservation in employment in the industries that would come up either in Public Sector or in Public Private Partnership (PPP). The people who forego their land for the development of industries will be given the first preference along with other locals which will help the growth of industrial sector. The training will increase the net worth of the workforce.

Earlier, initiating the discussion on the Bill Minister for Labour, Employment, Training and Employment, G Jayaram said the Bill aims at providing employment to locals and industrialists will have all the cooperation from the State in carrying out their entrepreneurship with ease.

When a talent pool is not available to absorb the locals into the new industries, the Government proposes to set up Skill Development Centres to give the required training and upgrade the skills to the locals and make them to reach the bench mark level of the new industry.

The Skill Development Centres, to be set up in Engineering Colleges, will train locals to meet the standards of the industry if there is a dearth of candidates in the required measure in the region. A three year period of buffer is created to train the locals who will turn into a big labour force after undergoing the training. This is done with active collaboration with State Government and will benefit the industry immensely.

If labour is not available to the expected standards, the Industry can write to the Government and seek exemption.

Brushing aside the negativity surrounding the Bill and the argument stating that the Bill deprives the Investors of their desired choice of operations, speakers had argued during the debate that this is no hindrance on part of the Government over the entrepreneurs but it is only to help out and add points to the Ease of Doing Business index.

The Bill has a provision enabling the Industrialists under PPA to write to the Government and seek exemption if local talent is not available and such matters will be expeditiously concerned.

If the skill upgradation exercise does not work out for three years, there is a provision for the entrepreneurs to appeal to the Government for exemption. The Bill provides enough room for the investors and the quota need not be seen as fetters but it given them more room to ease out initial hiccups, the speakers said and lauded Chief Minister for taking the path-breaking move which is unprecedented in the country.

The Bill is a result of the 3,648 km padayatra of YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, who interacted with youth and had a good measure of their aspirations and needs of which employment is of a major concern and after foregoing Hyderabad they have expressed concern over their future. Many of them said that they have no place to go after studies.

The members who participated in the debate appreciated the Chief Minister for his bold step and working out of details like Skill Development Centres to provide training for locals and upgrading the skills.

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