Date:21/06/2007 URL: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2007/06/21/stories/2007062100090800.htm

Back Diversity in the private sector

Some political leaders tend to lecture the private sector about reservation and quotas to be considered during recruitment. The response of industry has been that people are employed purely on merit, irrespective of their caste, creed and religion. There have been attempts to foist on the private sector a minimum percentage to be set aside for SC, ST and others castes. But what is the ground reality?

The latest annual report of Ashok Leyland reveals very interesting data. As on March 31, 2007, 83.97 per cent of the auto major's employees were from SC, ST, BC and other notified communities. According to the company, the data were collected for the first time to understand the composition of the present work-force and the data amply bear out the diversity among the work-force.

This should silence those who themselves the sole custodians of political rectitude and champions of the backward classes.

M. M. Gurbaxani

Bangalore

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