Bengaluru: The Karnataka Cabinet on Thursday decided to direct all private investors in the State to reserve Group C and D jobs for Kannadigas. Group C and D jobs basically include clerical, floor-level jobs and attendants. 

Law Minister J.C. Madhuswamy said that the new policy of job reservation in private sector will be applicable for new investors in Karnataka. “The aim is to generate more jobs for rural Kannadigas. The 2016 policy on the job reservation in private sector also has scope for providing higher rank jobs to Kannadigas,’’ he said. 

But apprehensive about the possible legal implications, the BJP Government is against making it mandatory though — stressing instead on ‘priority’, as in an affirmative action on the private job front for residents of the State.

Madhuswamy said, they cannot amend the rules making it compulsory for ‘only’ Kannadigas to be given jobs in the C and D cadres in the private sector. However, since the Government provides the establishments with water, power and land, they                                                                can only insist the private companies to give jobs for Kannadigas on priority.

The Cabinet also approved the new Textile Policy (2019-24) for the next five years. The Law Minister said that the Government will infuse Rs. 10,000 crore in the form of subsidy for the next five years to revive the textile sector. 

The Minister said that based on directions of the High Court, the Cabinet decided to provide an additional Rs. 250 each for second set of school uniforms. Earlier, the Government was providing just one set of uniform for Government School students of first to eighth grade.

Rs.100 crore hitech Hospital for Kodagu

Following an extensive social media campaign over the demand for an Emergency Hospital for Kodagu, the Karnataka Cabinet has decided to build a hitech hospital in the district. The hospital will have 450 beds at an estimated cost of Rs. 100 crore. The place of the hospital, has, however not been announced. 

Law Minister J.C. Madhuswamy said that the new hospital was mooted by Mysuru-Kodagu MP Pratap Simha and the State Government has considered the demand. The tourist hotspot of Kodagu is a hilly district in the lap of Western Ghats and covers an area of 4,102 sq km. Even today, however, the district does not have a major hospital.

The residents have been forced to travel more than a hundred kilometres, either to Mangaluru or Mysuru, to avail benefits of advanced medicine, even in case of an emergency. 

Many Kodagu residents and supporters of the cause point out the historical neglect faced by the district, in spite of it being the origin of River Cauvery. The demand for such a medical facility has been long-pending.