Hindalco industry in Hirakud

Bhubaneswar, June 19: Ruling BJD legislators in the Assembly today alleged that industries in Odisha were not giving employment to local people violating the state government’s directive.

Legislators representing the Angul-Talcher industrial area and Kalinga Nagar industrial complex have made the allegation. BJP MLA from Brajarajnagar industrial area Radharani Panda threatened that she and the people of her constituency would not tolerate if the industries employed outsiders, ignoring the local people.

Alleging that there was a nexus between officials and industry, Jeypore Congress MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati wanted a House committee that should monitor the employment of local people in the industries across the state.

Industries minister Debi Prasad Mishra rejected the demand, saying that the departmental standing committee of the state legislature could look into the matter.

The minister said the state government had made it mandatory for the companies, which had signed or going to sign MoU with the state to set up industrial units to employ local people on a priority basis.

For unskilled and semi-skilled jobs, industries in the state are to recruit 90 per cent people from the local population. In the skilled category, the quota is fixed at 60 per cent. While there is no restriction on senior executives, the industrial units will have to take 30 per cent local people for supervisory and managerial jobs. The district collectors have been empowered to enforce the industries department’s directive.

The minister said the rehabilitation and periphery development advisory committees, headed by the respective revenue divisional commissioners, were monitoring the matter from time to time.

However, BJD MLAs — Mahesh Sahoo, Nrusingha Charan Sahu (both from Angul district), Debasis Nayak (Jajpur), Balabhadra Majhi (Kalahandi) — alleged that the industries were defying the government directive. Local people were being hired for the posts of sweepers and drivers, while outsiders were being recruited for higher-level posts.

The agitated MLAs urged the government to withdraw the facilities being given to the industries, which are violating the provision.

Mishra assured the members to review the position in co-ordination with the labour and other related departments. The comprehensive database on employment position in various industries would be updated.