Union Labour Minister M. Mallikarjun Kharge has told the Kannada Development Authority that the National Employment Policy was ready and the same has been sent to Union government departments for their feedback.
Mr. Kharge was responding to authority’s plea in this regard when its chairperson Mukhyamantri Chandru met the former at New Delhi on Thursday. He said that already his department had made knowledge of local language compulsory for Group C in his department, including the ESI Corporation, according to a release from the authority.
Also, the textbooks in industrial training institutes have been translated into eight Indian languages, including Kannada, and steps were being taken to impart education in the local language. Steps were also being taken to upgrade defunct employment exchanges by digitising their functioning.
Regarding the authority’s plea about National Water Policy, Mr. Kharge said he had already spoken to Union Water Resources Minister Harish Rawat in this regard, who has promised to lay down the policy before Parliament. The delegation of the authority also met Union Minister for Small-Scale Industries K.H. Muniyappa.
When the delegation met the former Union Minister and Bangalore South Lok Sabha member Ananth Kumar, he promised to discuss with Mr. Kharge the issue of knowledge of local language for Group C and D posts. As an interim measure, a circular could be issued pending formulation of the employment policy, he said.
Education policy
The delegation also met Union Human Resources Development Minister M.M. Pallam Raju with a request to bring out National Education Policy laying emphasis on education in one’s mother tongue. Mr. Raju promised the delegation to enforce the same through different schemes as bringing out a policy at this juncture was difficult because of pending court proceedings.
Meanwhile, Mr. Chandru reviewed implementation of Kannada language at Karnataka Bhavana, New Delhi, and directed that all employees should know Kannada. Resident Commissioner of the Bhavana Vandana Gurnani and Karnataka government’s special representative Bykere Nagesh were present.
The delegation comprised MPs A.H. Vishwanath, K. Jayaprakash Hegde, Basavaraja Patil Sedam, Gaddigoudar, G.M. Siddesh and many writers from Karnataka.
