Paswan moots job reservation in private sector

Undeterred by the controversy, Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan expressed the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government's resolve to bring a Bill before Parliament seeking reservation of jobs for socially backward sections in the private sector.

"Nobody can stop reservation in the private sector. We (UPA) are committed to the issue as per our cmp and a bill in this regard will be brought in parliament soon," Paswan said here.

"The issue of reservation is a national issue and should be supported by all political parties," the minister for steel and chemicals and fertilisers said at a seminar on reservation in private sector.

Demanding extension of reservation in all the privatised psus, cpi secretary d raja blamed the previous NDA government's privatisation policy for declining job opportunities for the backward classes.

The private sector should initiate a meaningful dialogue on reservation and "the government should also play a proactive role in implementing reservation," the communist leader added.

Paswan said that former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had also assured of pursuing the matter.

The Lok Jan Shakti party president also demanded reservation for wards of backward class people in public schools besides setting up of a fund from the disinvestment proceeds for training students from the under privileged sections.