Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Wrongheaded policy: On the Karnataka jobs-for-locals bill

Wrongheaded policy: On the Karnataka jobs-for-locals bill

The Karnataka Bill on reserving jobs for locals is self-defeating

Despite the fact that (इस तथ्य कि) attempts to provide reservation (आरक्षण) in jobs for local workers have been proven unconstitutional (असंवैधानिक) and have been rejected by courts, the temptation (प्रलोभन, लालच) to pander to (to do or say something to satisfy someone or someone’s (wrong) desire in order to get some advantage/benefit from it; satisfy, fulfil, indulge, gratify, soap) nativist sentiments (भावना, संवेदना) remains among State governments. A case in point (example, precedent, instance, typical case) is the draft Karnataka State Employment of Local Candidates in the Industries, Factories and Other Establishments (प्रतिष्ठान, संस्थान) Bill, 2024, cleared (मंजूरी देना, स्वीकृति देना) by the Congress government’s cabinet but later “temporarily withheld” following an uproar (हंगामा, कोलाहल) from industry heads and trade bodies in Karnataka. The Bill envisaged (परिकल्पना करना) that industries and other establishments would appoint local candidates in 50% of management positions and 70% of non-management positions, and set stringent (कठोर, सख्त) criteria for defining local candidates. Similar Bills were passed in Andhra Pradesh in 2019, Haryana in 2020, and Jharkhand in 2023. While the Karnataka Bill added proficiency (प्रवीणता, कुशलता) in Kannada as one of the criteria to define (परिभाषित करना, स्पष्ट करना) eligibility of a local candidate, the Haryana and Andhra Pradesh laws were largely (मुख्यतः, काफी हद तक) based on residency criterion (मानदंड, कसौटी). The Punjab and Haryana High Court quashed (रद्द करना, निरस्त करना) the Haryana Act in 2023 holding ((of a court) decide, rule) it violative (subjected to violation (breach, contravention, infringement, breaking, non-observance); contradictory, opposite) of equality (the fact or status of being equal; equal rights, equal opportunities, non-discrimination) guaranteed under Article 14 and freedom under Article 19 of the Constitution (body of law; system of rules; regulations, fundamental principles, charter). It added that the Act went against the rights of citizens from the rest of the country and that States enacting such laws could set up (create, get going, start, begin) “artificial walls (fence, barrier, barricade, impediment, obstacle)” throughout India. The Andhra Pradesh Act (law, decree, statute, rule, fiat, ordinance, stipulation) is still being heard in court, while the Jharkhand Bill has not been implemented. Apart from the aforementioned (mentioned previously) reasons, the Karnataka Bill is also violative of Article 16(3) (Nothing in this article shall prevent Parliament from making any law prescribing, in regard to a class or classes of employment or appointment to an office under the Government of, or any local or other authority within, a State or Union territory, any requirement as to residence within that State or Union territory prior to such employment or appointment) that allows for reservation based on residence, but limits it to public employment and to be enforced (implement, execute, carry out, impose, apply) only by a law made in Parliament and not by a State Legislature (law-making body or governing body; parliament, congress, council, assembly).

The temptation for the Karnataka government to come up with (propose, present, put forward, submit, introduce, suggest, recommend) Bills that provide for reservation for locals and labour protectionism (it is an economic policy where a country (state) imposes restrictions like tariffs, quotas, and subsidies to shield its domestic industries from foreign/inter-state competition) despite their proven unconstitutionality (a state/condition of not according to or not consistent with the constitution; illegality, wrongfulness, unlawfulness) is perhaps (maybe, possibly, probably, conceivably, it is possible (that)) motivated by the fact that there is resentment (disappointment, dissatisfaction, disgruntlement, discontent, grievances, unhappiness, displeasure, bitterness, hard feelings) among resident workers in better-off (in a more desirable or advantageous position; rich, wealthy, affluent, well-to-do, opulent, well off) States that their jobs are being taken over by migrant (a person who moves from one region to another - either within a country or across national borders in order to find work or better living conditions) workers. This is especially so among those aspiring for jobs in the private sector, where some employers have sought to exploit (take advantage of, make use of, utilize, capitalize on, cash in on) migrant workers to work for longer hours and at lower pay without benefits or social protections and without political support that is otherwise available to local workers. If Karnataka is concerned about this segmentation (division/separation into a different parts) of the labour market that pits the migrant worker against the locals, it should enforce labour rights for the former as well; and by curbing (restrict, constrain, restrain, limit) exploitative (unprincipled, unethical, immoral, dishonest, fraudulent) practices, it could create a level playing field (a situation in which everyone has a fair and equal opportunity to succeed, and no one has an advantage over the other) for all workers. Protectionism for the local worker and parochialism (narrow-mindedness, localism, provincialism; small-mindedness, myopia, intolerance) is not the answer.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.the fact that (phrase)

Hindi Meaning - इस तथ्य कि
English Meaning - used to refer to a specific situation under consideration/discussion.

2.reservation (noun)

Hindi Meaning - आरक्षण
English Meaning - a system of affirmative action in India that provides historically disadvantaged groups representation in education, employment, and politics.

3.unconstitutional (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - असंवैधानिक
English Meaning - unlawful, illegal, prohibited, unauthorized, forbidden, illicit, against the law.

4.temptation (noun)

Hindi Meaning - प्रलोभन, लालच
English Meaning - desire, urge, impulse, inclination; enticement, attraction, allurement, trap, bait.

5.sentiment (noun)

Hindi Meaning - भावना, संवेदना
English Meaning - feeling, emotion, point of view.

6.establishment (noun)

Hindi Meaning - प्रतिष्ठान, संस्थान
English Meaning - company, enterprise, entity, organization, outfit.

7.clear (verb)

Hindi Meaning - मंजूरी देना, स्वीकृति देना
English Meaning - pass, endorse, authorize, sanction, give approval to, allow.

8.uproar (noun)

Hindi Meaning - हंगामा, कोलाहल
English Meaning - chaos, clamour, disturbance, commotion, mayhem, turmoil.

9.envisage (verb)

Hindi Meaning - परिकल्पना करना
English Meaning - conceive, imagine, envision, think, perceive, apprehend.

10.stringent (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - कठोर, सख्त
English Meaning - strict, severe, extreme, rigorous.

11.criterion (noun)

Hindi Meaning - मानदंड, कसौटी
English Meaning - basis, standard, norm, guideline, guiding principle. (criteria is the plural form of criterion).

12.define (verb)

Hindi Meaning - परिभाषित करना, स्पष्ट करना
English Meaning - describe, explain, elucidate, spell out, state precisely.

13.proficiency (noun)

Hindi Meaning - प्रवीणता, कुशलता
English Meaning - skill, expertise, knowledge, competence, capability.

14.largely (adverb)

Hindi Meaning - मुख्यतः, काफी हद तक
English Meaning - mostly, mainly, generally.

15.quash (verb)

Hindi Meaning - रद्द करना, निरस्त करना
English Meaning - cancel, reverse, repeal, revoke, overrule, invalidate, say no to, rule out.

16.wrong-headed (adjective)

English Meaning - misguided, ill-considered, badly planned.

17.Bill (noun)

English Meaning - A Bill is a draft statute that becomes law after it is passed by both the Houses of Parliament and assented to by the President. All legislative proposals are brought before Parliament in the forms of Bills (or) draft statute/law, proposed legislation, proposal (presented to parliament/congress/council for discussion).

18.reserve (verb)

English Meaning - preserve, put aside, earmark, set aside, withhold.

19.self-defeating (adjective)

English Meaning - futile, pointless, useless.

20.pander to (verb)

English Meaning - to do or say something to satisfy someone or someone’s (wrong) desire in order to get some advantage/benefit from it; satisfy, fulfil, indulge, gratify, soap.

21.nativist (adjective)

English Meaning - relating to a supporter or advocate of the political policy of promoting the interests of native inhabitants against those of immigrants.

22.a case in point (noun phrase)

English Meaning - example, precedent, instance, typical case.

23.Karnataka State Employment of Local Candidates in the Industries, Factories and Other Establishments Bill, 2024 (noun)

English Meaning - it mandates that industries, factories and other establishments appoint local candidates in 50% of management positions and 70% in non-management positions.

24.withhold (verb)

English Meaning - stop, hold back, retain, keep hold of; to refuse to give something; to refrain from giving permission.

25.hold (verb)

English Meaning - (of a court) decide, rule.

26.violative (adjective)

English Meaning - subjected to violation (breach, contravention, infringement, breaking, non-observance); contradictory, opposite.

27.equality (noun)

English Meaning - the fact or status of being equal; equal rights, equal opportunities, non-discrimination.

28.Article 14 of the Constitution of India (noun)

English Meaning - It states that “The State shall not deny to any person equality before the law or the equal protection of the laws within the territory of India.”

29.Article 19 of the Constitution of India (noun)

English Meaning - it deals with “Protection of certain rights regarding freedom of speech, etc.”.

30.constitution (noun)

English Meaning - body of law; system of rules; regulations, fundamental principles, charter.

31.The Constitution of India (noun)

English Meaning - India, also known as Bharat, is a Union of States. It is a Sovereign Socialist Secular Democratic Republic with a parliamentary system of government. The Republic is governed in terms of the Constitution of India which was adopted by the Constituent Assembly on 26th November, 1949 and came into force on 26th January, 1950.

32.Act (noun)

English Meaning - law, decree, statute, rule, fiat, ordinance, stipulation.

33.go against (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - oppose, contravene, be in conflict with, be in opposition to, breach, break, offend, transgress, violate.

34.set up (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - create, get going, start, begin.

35.wall (noun)

English Meaning - fence, barrier, barricade, impediment, obstacle.

36.aforementioned (adjective)

English Meaning - mentioned previously.

37.Article 16(3) of the Constitution of India (noun)

English Meaning - Nothing in this article shall prevent Parliament from making any law prescribing, in regard to a class or classes of employment or appointment to an office under the Government of, or any local or other authority within, a State or Union territory, any requirement as to residence within that State or Union territory prior to such employment or appointment.

38.enforce (verb)

English Meaning - implement, execute, carry out, impose, apply.

39.legislature (noun)

English Meaning - law-making body or governing body; parliament, congress, council, assembly.

40.come up with (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - propose, present, put forward, submit, introduce, suggest, recommend.

41.protectionism (noun)

English Meaning - it is an economic policy where a country (state) imposes restrictions like tariffs, quotas, and subsidies to shield its domestic industries from foreign/inter-state competition.

42.unconstitutionality (noun)

English Meaning - a state/condition of not according to or not consistent with the constitution; illegality, wrongfulness, unlawfulness.

43.perhaps (adverb)

English Meaning - maybe, possibly, probably, conceivably, it is possible (that).

44.resentment (noun)

English Meaning - disappointment, dissatisfaction, disgruntlement, discontent, grievances, unhappiness, displeasure, bitterness, hard feelings.

45.better-off (adjective)

English Meaning - in a more desirable or advantageous position; rich, wealthy, affluent, well-to-do, opulent, well off.

46.migrant (noun)

English Meaning - a person who moves from one region to another - either within a country or across national borders in order to find work or better living conditions.

47.sought past and past participle of seek (verb)

English Meaning - try, aim, attempt.

48.exploit (verb)

English Meaning - take advantage of, make use of, utilize, capitalize on, cash in on.

49.segmentation (noun)

English Meaning - division/separation into a different parts.

50.pit against (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - to cause someone to fight or compete against another person.

51.curb (verb)

English Meaning - restrict, constrain, restrain, limit.

52.exploitative (adjective)

English Meaning - unprincipled, unethical, immoral, dishonest, fraudulent.