Himachal Pradesh Chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal said his Government was planning to incorporate a harsh penal clause in future MOUs with industries for strict implementation of a law which guarantees 70 per cent employment to Himachalis in manufacturing units.
A 1996 rule makes it mandatory for a production unit to employ 70 per cent natives at all levels, but that does not provide for any action against violators, Dhumal said while replying to a question by Congress MLA Nand Lal.
Amid reports of violation of the rule, Dhumal said the proposed penal clause would be there in all future MOUs and would not be applicable to the past agreements.
Earlier, replying to the question, Industries minister Kishan Kapoor said that in nine power projects, the job reservation rule was found to have been violated.
The state Government has asked these projects to take corrective steps, Kapoor said adding the labour department conducts survey every three months to ensure that industrial units employ 70 per cent natives at all levels.