The Maharashtra Navanirman Sena claimed a major victory on Monday with the state government announcing that a committee will be set up at the district level, under the chairmanship of district collectors, to ensure that Maharashtrians get 80 per cent of jobs in industries.
The Maharashtra government on Monday issued a notification reiterating the provisions of a 1972 notification to this effect.
The 1972 notification makes it mandatory for industries that have been allotted land in industrial parks developed by the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation and enjoy tax and duty concessions from the state government to employ at least 80 per cent locals in lower-level jobs and 50 per cent in supervisory jobs.
The notification also mentions that a committee will be set up at the district level, under the chairmanship of the district collector, to monitor whether or not the state government's directives are followed.
The committee will include the assistant labour commissioner, a district vocational training officer, assistant directors of employment and self employment directorate, a district-level official of the MIDC and two representatives of the local industry associations.
The notification says any person living in the state for more than 15 years will be considered a domicile and will be eligible for employment.
Industry has also been asked to appoint people with sound knowledge of the Marathi language as officials to handle recruitments.
In April this year, the MNS had said it would launch an agitation against violators of the 1972 notification.
Industry had opposed such a compulsion in the past arguing that it would reduce competition among job seekers and make finding the right people for jobs difficult.
Speaking to Business Standard, Shirish Parkar, an MNS spokesperson, said: "It is because of our agitation on the issue of the rights of the sons of the soil that the state government was forced to act. It is a major victory for the agitation the MNS launched under the leadership of Raj Thackeray."
