An official statement quoted Chouhan as saying that “only students of the state will be absorbed in government services in Madhya Pradesh. Necessary statutory provisions will be made for this”. (File)

MADHYA PRADESH Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday announced that all government jobs will be given only to the “children” (bachchon) of the state. He said his government was making the necessary legal provisions for this.

“Madhya Pradesh sarkar ne ek mahatvapoorn phaisala kiya hai. Madhya Pradesh ki shaasakeey naukariyaan ab kewal Madhya Pradesh ke bachchon ko hi di jaengee. Iske liye hum aavashyak kanooni praavadhaan kar rahe hai. Madhya Pradesh ke sansaadhan Madhya Pradesh ke bachchon ke liye hai,” Chouhan said in a video statement.

(“The Madhya Pradesh government has taken an important decision. Government jobs in Madhya Pradesh will now be given only to the children of Madhya Pradesh. We are making the necessary legal provisions for this. The resources of Madhya Pradesh are for the children of Madhya Pradesh.”)

In a tweet addressed to the youth, he said: “Aaj se Madhya Pradesh ke sansaadhano par pehla adhikaar Madhya Pradesh ke bachchon ka hoga. Sabhi shaasakeey naukariyaan sirf Madhya Pradesh ke bachchon ke liye hi aarakshit rahengi.”

(“From today, the children of Madhya Pradesh will have the first right on the resources of Madhya Pradesh. All government jobs will be reserved only for the children of Madhya Pradesh.”)

An official statement quoted Chouhan as saying that “only students of the state will be absorbed in government services in Madhya Pradesh. Necessary statutory provisions will be made for this”.

Chouhan’s announcement comes ahead of the Assembly bypolls for 27 seats in the Chambal-Gwalior region, for which the dates are yet to be announced.

Senior officials said while a detailed plan is yet to be formulated, the broad framework is expected within a week. Sources said the General Administration Department (GAD) will draw the guidelines soon. The announcement, however, will not affect the ongoing recruitments.

Chouhan made the announcement after a meeting with state ministers and top officials, where they discussed the roadmap for expediting the schemes announced on Independence Day.

In his Independence Day speech, Chouhan had said that residents of the state would be given preference in government jobs. He had also said that his government would devise a mechanism to provide employment to youths based on their Class 10 and Class 12 marksheets.

State Congress president and former chief minister Kamal Nath tweeted: “After 15 years, you have woken up to the issue of providing employment for the youth… Let this not remain just an electoral promise in view of the coming bypolls…if it does, the Congress will not stay silent.”

Earlier, the then Kamal Nath government had announced that 70 per cent of jobs in industrial units would be reserved for locals.

Criticising the announcement, Congress leader and Rajya Sabha member Vivek Tankha, who is also a senior advocate in the Supreme Court, said: “There are numerous Supreme Court judgments against 100 per cent reservation. Domicile cannot be the basis for reservation. What will happen to the federal structure of the country if each state turns to such a reservation policy… The CM looks foolish while making such statements to remain in the headlines ahead of the bypolls.”

Welcoming the announcement, BJP spokesperson Rajneesh Aggarwal said: “The decision will fulfill the long pending demand of the youth from the state. It is extremely important to make the youth aatmanirbhar with government jobs, while working towards making the state aatmanirbhar.”

Aggarwal said “all legal provisions” for the purpose will be made, “taking into consideration the appropriate Supreme Court orders”.