Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw opposes Karnataka’s job quota bill, Minister Priyanka Kharge responds.

Ms. Shaw, in a public statement on her official account, expressed concern about the Karnataka government’s decision to enforce job reservation for Kannadigas in private companies. She emphasized the importance of exempting highly skilled recruitment from this policy in order to protect the state’s leading position in the technology sector. In response to Ms. Shaw’s comments, Karnataka’s Minister for Information Technology and Biotechnology, Priyank Kharge, assured that no detrimental rules or laws would be enforced without proper consultations with stakeholders.

He highlighted Karnataka’s status as a leading hub for technology and innovation, emphasizing the need for policies and schemes that boost investments and create employment opportunities while considering the interests of the global workforce. The controversial bill in question requires firms in India’s IT capital to prioritize local hires for a significant percentage of non-management and management-level roles. Following public backlash, the state government decided to pause the bill.

The National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) also expressed disappointment and concern over the new bill, stating that the restrictions could lead to companies relocating due to the scarcity of local skilled talent.