http://www.indianex
Govt in favour of 'affirmative action' in pvt sector
Agencies Posted online: Monday , Jan 18, 2010 at 2037 hrs
New Delhi : Government on Monday said it was in favour of "affirmative
action" for backward classes in the private sector but refused to
commit on having quotas for them.
Addressing the Social Editors Conference, Minister for Social Justice
and Empowerment Mukul Wasnik said, "government has not made any
statement that reservation will be given in the private sector. Though
it has spoken about taking affirmative action on the issue and has
asked the private sector to fulfill its social responsibility in this
direction."
The minister added that "in case of reservation, only affirmative
action was suggested to private sector by the government for giving
the backward classes better opportunities. My ministry had started
consultations and currently there is a committee under Department of
Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) and also a coordination
committee under Prime Minister's Principle Secretary, which are taking
the issue forward".
Wasnik said industry bodies like CII, ASSOCHAM and FICCI have adopted
a code of conduct for corporate sector on the issue, which their
members voluntarily follow.
To a query on whether the government will take any steps on
reservation for backward communities in the media, Wasnik quipped that
"it is something where only (media) you can do something on this, I am
unable to answer this question."
On the issue of sub-categorisation of castes, the minister said his
ministry was "looking at various issues involved. It is not on the
backburner, it is an important issue and we will look at all
dimensions".
He also said the government will soon take a decision on filling up
the post of Chairman of National Commission for Backward Castes. The
body has been headless since the last four months.
"It is a priority area for us and shortly a decision will be taken on
it," Wasnik said.
The minister also accepted that except for Jammu and Kashmir and
Himachal Pradesh, majority of states have not been able to
rehabilitate manual scavengers.
"The states where problem (of rehabilitating scavengers) persists
include Meghalaya, Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh,
Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Orissa, Tamil Nadu and Uttarakhand.
As per latest reports, Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh are the
two states which have completely rehabilitated people involved in
manual scavenging," Wasnik said.
INFORMATION OVERLOAD?
Get all ZESTCaste mails sent out in a span of 24 hours in a single mail. Subscribe to the daily digest version by sending a blank mail to ZESTMedia-digest@yahoogroups.com, OR, if you have a Yahoo! Id, change your settings at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTMedia/join/
PARTICIPATE:-
On this list you can share caste news, discuss caste issues and network with like-minded anti-caste people from across India and the world. Just write to zestcaste@yahoogroups.com
TELL FRIENDS TO SIGN UP:-
If you got this mail as a forward, subscribe to ZESTCaste by sending a blank mail to ZESTCaste-subscribe@yahoogroups.com OR, if you have a Yahoo! ID, by visiting http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join/
Also have a look at our sister list, ZESTMedia: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTMedia/
No comments:
Post a Comment