JOIN USPSU sell-offs, outsourcing a death knell to SC/STs: Justice Das
The Justice H N Nagamohan Das Commission has observed that disinvestment initiatives by governments, contract and outsourcing labour system and non-filling of backlog vacancies in the country sounded the death knell to SC/ST communities.
“There are more than 60 lakh vacancies unfilled in the union government, public sector undertakings and state governments in the country. About 30.75 lakh posts are lying vacant in the union government (2.39 lakh posts in Karnataka alone),” the commission said in its report that led to increase in SC/ST reservation.
The report said if all these vacancies (60 lakh) are filled, SC/ST communities will get 15 lakh jobs.
“The combined share of SC/ST communities in the country’s population is 25 per cent,” the report said.
It said that the highest employment in the country’s is in the agriculture sector, which employs nearly 53 per cent of the total job market in the country, manufacturing and construction sector account for 11 per cent each, whereas service sectors like trade, transport, hospitality and education account for 9 per cent, 4 per cent, 3 per cent and 2 per cent, respectively. Other sectors employ about 5 per cent.
“The total share of government and public sector employment is just 2 per cent across the country. Therefore, employment opportunities available for SC/ST category is negligible,” the report said.
With the Supreme Court fixing 50 per cent cap on reservation, employment available to SC/ STs and OBCs is just 1 per cent.
“Hence, SC/ST communities find it very difficult to get their legitimate share from available jobs in government sector. Also, these communities are deprived of reservation in employment due to policies like disinvestment by governments, contract and outsourcing labour system and non-filling of backlog vacancies,” the report said.
It said that after the liberalisation of the economy in 1991, the union government under its disinvestment programme reduced the scope of public sector.
“Selling off many public sectors unit to private entities has become a norm. This has assumed huge proportions in recent years. The union government, in its budget for 2020-21, proposing to withdraw Rs 2.11 lakh crore from PSUs is a case in point,” the report said.