Following the footsteps of Maharashtra, the Orissa government on Tuesday decided to reserve jobs for locals in the upcoming industries in the state.

In the semi-skilled and unskilled category, the reservation will be 90 per cent. In the jobs requiring skilled man power, at least 60 per cent vacancies will be filled up by the locals. Maharashtra last week had announced reservation of 80 per cent jobs for locals in the industries operating in that state.

Similarly, a minimum 30 percent of the supervisor and managerial posts will be filled up from locals, though the appointment of senior executives will be on the basis of merit.

The move is significant in view of the impending assembly elections in the state. This comes in the backdrop of allegations that most of the industries coming up in the state are recruiting outsiders ignoring the interests of locals.

Industry is seen as a major avenue for job creation, particularly when the state is on the threshold of rapid industrialization and tops the list of states in attracting new investments with over Rs 6 lakh crore worth of projects in the pipeline.

In this context, the Orissa government today decided to insert a new employment clause in the MoUs to be signed with companies planning to set up industries in the state. This clause will also be applicable to the MoUs coming up for renewal and MoUs signed earlier.

For the earlier singed MoUs, the new clause will be inserted through appropriate amendment in the document.

This was decided in the High Level Clearance Authority meeting chaired by chief minister Naveen Patnaik, here, today.

Talking to the media after the meeting, steel and mines minister, Pradeep Amat said, the state government is focusing on providing employment to the project affected people and the people of Orissa. He said, the locals will mean all project displaced and affected people followed by the people domiciled in the state, in that preference order.

The MoU will have stipulation that the company signing MoU will have to submit employment status report to the collector with a copy to the department concerned regularly at a prescribed interval.

The collector will be responsible for reviewing the fulfillment of employment ratios for the local people as per the conditions of the MoUs.

Official sources said the proposal to insert new employment clause in the MoUs was discussed in the State Level Single Window Clearance Authority held on 16 October 2008. It was decided that employment to the local people may be provided by including an appropriate new clause in each of the MoUs to be signed or renewed by the state government. HLCA, in its meeting today put its seal of approval to the proposal, sources added.