New Delhi:

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, the founder of pharmaceutical giant Biocon, on Wednesday opposed the proposal to reserve private jobs for local hires in Karnataka, which houses the country’s information technology hub Bengaluru.

Taking to her official X account, Ms Shaw said highly skilled recruitment must be exempted from the Karnataka government’s decision mandating reservation for Kannadigas in private firms.

She also said the job reservation for locals must not affect the state’s leading position in the technology sector.

“As a tech hub, we need skilled talent and whilst the aim is to provide jobs for locals we must not affect our leading position in technology by this move. There must be caveats that exempt highly skilled recruitment from this policy, said wrote on X.

As a tech hub we need skilled talent and whilst the aim is to provide jobs for locals we must not affect our leading position in technology by this move. There must be caveats that exempt highly skilled recruitment from this policy. @siddaramaiah@DKShivakumar@PriyankKhargehttps://t.co/itYWdHcMWw

— Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw (@kiranshaw) July 17, 2024

Her post drew a response from Karnataka’s Minister for Information Technology and Biotechnology Priyank Kharge, who said “no detrimental rules or laws will be enforced without due consultations with stakeholders”.

“Karnataka has always led the nation in economic growth and we continue to do so,” he said.

Citing that Karnataka is the fourth largest technology cluster in the world, number 1 in the India Innovation Index, and first in IT service exports, he said the state has achieved “these milestones and many more because our Government consistently engages with all stakeholders to draft policies and schemes that boost investments and create more employment opportunities.”

“As always, we will consult with industries, industry bodies, and thought leaders to ensure we foster a favorable environment for investments and job creation for locals while addressing the needs of the global workforce,” the Congress leader said.

Karnataka is the 4th largest technology cluster in the world and are leaders in the country in many verticals.

We are No. 1 in India Innovation Index

1st in IT service exports

Top 3 in FDI inflows

We have 40% share in Electronics Design in India

In Machine Tools… https://t.co/Sh2fJkE5rG

— Priyank Kharge / ಪ್ರಿಯಾಂಕ್ ಖರ್ಗೆ (@PriyankKharge) July 17, 2024

Many other leading figures from the industry also spoke out against the Karnataka State Employment of Local Candidates in the Industries, Factories and Other Establishments Bill, 2024, which was approved by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah-led cabinet on Monday.

The bill requires firms in India’s IT capital to prioritise local hires for 70 per cent of non-management roles and 50 per cent of management-level jobs. The state government, however, paused the bill after backlash.

Row Over Karnataka’s Job Quota Bill

Former Infosys chief financial officer Mohandas Pai said the bill was “discriminatory” and “regressive”.

“This bill should be junked. It is discriminatory, regressive, and against the Constitution. This is a fascist bill as in Animal Farm,” he said on X.

The National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) also expressed disappointment and concern over Karnataka’s new bill mandating reservation for locals in private sector jobs.

In a statement, it said, “Nasscom and its members are disappointed and express deep concern regarding the passage of the Karnataka State Employment of Local Industries Factories Establishment Act Bill, 2024.”

“Restrictions could force companies to relocate as local skilled talent becomes scarce,” it said.

Bengaluru:

Reacting to the remarks made by comedian Trevor Noah on Bengaluru in an event, Founder of Biocon Limited Kiran Mazumdar Shaw on Sunday said that Karnataka’s capital has provided enough content for future shows of Trevor Noah.

Referring to a clip that surfaced on the social media platform where Trevor Noah was sharing his experiences about travelling in Bengaluru, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw took to X (former Twitter) and said, “Bangalore’s shambolic state has provided enough content for Trevor Noah’s future shows. If this does not wake up the administration then we have nothing left to hope for@Jointcptraffic @BBMPCOMM @CMofKarnataka  @DKShivakumar.”

Bangalore’s shambolic state has provided enough content for Trevor Noah’s future shows.If this does not wake up the administration then we have nothing left to hope for ⁦@Jointcptraffic⁩ ⁦@BBMPCOMM⁩ ⁦@CMofKarnataka⁩ ⁦@DKShivakumar⁩ https://t.co/rZee59SAG0

— Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw (@kiranshaw) October 1, 2023

The much-awaited show by comedian Trevor Noah on Wednesday night in Bengaluru was cancelled.

Mr Noah was to perform at the Manpho Convention Centre in the city on Wednesday and Thursday as part of his ‘Off the Record’ tour. The organisers cancelled both of Noah’s shows in Bengaluru scheduled for September 27 and 28. However, Noah apologised to his fans who came all the way to watch it.

He took to X and wrote, “Dear Bengaluru India, I was so looking forward to performing in your amazing city but due to technical issues we’ve been forced to cancel both shows.”

Citing the reason for the cancellation of the show Noah said, “We tried everything but because the audience can’t hear the comedians on stage there’s literally no way to do a show. We’ll make sure all ticket holders receive a full refund and again I’m so sorry for both the inconvenience and disappointment this has never happened to us before.”

He performed at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium, Delhi-NCR on September 22, 23 and 24 and in Mumbai on September 30.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)