There should be a renewed debate on the issue of reservation in the private sector, said Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday.

The Bihar CM, responding to a question at an event in Patna, emphasized that reservation for the marginalized sections should be implemented in the private sector too. There should be a debate on the issue on the national level, added Mr. Nitish Kumar.

Currently, the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other backward castes and physically handicapped persons are entitled to reservation in educational institutions and jobs in government!

A proposal to bring outsourced government jobs within the ambit of reservation, was approved by the Nitish Kumar Cabinet, last week.

“Reservation policy would be followed in the selection of outsourced staff which is provided by a third party,” cabinet secretary Brajesh Mehrotra had said.

In various departments, around 10 thousand staff on third party payroll were employed by the Bihar government, with an aim to bring down pension and other liabilities. The private companies will now have to follow reservations ruled by the government, as per the latest Cabinet decision. The companies outsourcing government jobs will have to ensure that SCs get 16%, STs 1%, EBCs 18% and OBCs 12% reservation in the jobs.

This is not the first time when Nitish Kumar has advocated reservation in private sector. No reservation in the age of liberalization is hurting the cause of social justice, emphasized Nitish Kumar.

“In today’s time of economic liberalisation if reservation is not provided in private sector then it would be playing a joke with the concept of social justice,” a leading news channel quoted Kumar as saying.

The issue of providing reservation to Dalit Muslims too was raised by Kumar, during his tenure as a member of 14th Lok Sabha. “I had said that SC/ST could be of any religion. Subsequently, Dalit Buddhist and Dalit Sikh got benefits of reservation but Dalit muslims and Dalit Christians could not get it,” he had said.