The issue of the profile of posts held by Kannadigas/locals figured in the Legislative Council on Wednesday.

Based on the information provided by Medium and Large Industries Minister Jagadish Shettar that as many as 3.69 lakh of the total 4.86 lakh people employed in medium and large industries in Bengaluru Urban were Kannadigas, Congress Chief Whip M. Narayanswamy asked the Minister if the government had any information about the profile of the posts in which locals had been appointed.

“Despite farmers and land-losers’ children completing engineering, diploma or ITI courses and being technically qualified, Kannadigas are being considered for lowly paying menial jobs. The industry owners are filling highly paid technical posts with people from their State. Do you have any idea about the posts held by 1.17 lakh non-Kannadigas in the industry?” He said that even in ‘D’ category posts that are reserved completely for locals, industries are bringing people from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Nepal, among other places, and no action had been taken against them.

Mr. Shettar said action would be initiated against any industry that violates the employment norms, and that enquiries coming for setting new factories were factoring in the strict norms. “While government is doing random checks, it is also counter-checking the claims of the companies,” he said.