Pharmaceutical companies, a vital segment of Goa manufacturing sector and significant employment source, are under scrutiny for holding recruitment camps outside the state. Indoco Remedies canceled a recruitment camp in Boisar, a Mumbai suburb, citing unavoidable circumstances and intervention by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant. In a letter to CM Sawant on May 22, Indoco Remedies, which operates a plant in Goa’s Verna Industrial Estate and planned walk-in interviews in Boisar on May 24, cited “unavoidable circumstances and your personal intervention” as reasons for the cancellation.
Encube Ethicals also faced backlash for organizing a walk-in interview drive in Pune. Opposition parties in the state accused these companies of intentionally avoiding the hiring of Goans, describing it as an “affront to Goa.” Goa Forward’s Vijai Sardesai spearheaded the opposition, accusing the government of failing to ensure local candidates are given preference by Goa-based pharmaceutical companies. Sardesai argued that conducting interviews outside Goa is a deliberate attempt to avoid hiring locals, especially given Goa’s higher-than-average unemployment rate. He urged the CM to support Goans seeking jobs, questioning the benefit of having industries in the state if locals do not gain employment.
The Congress party and the Revolutionary Goans echoed these criticisms. Congress’ Sunil Kawthankar called for an audit of the proportion of Goan employees in all pharma industries in the state and demanded an 80% job reservation for Goans. Despite the public outrage, Encube Ethicals went ahead with their recruitment camp.
Sardesai emphasized that these companies’ actions reveal the state government’s indifference towards local job seekers and its leniency towards these companies. He called for regulations or policies to safeguard local job opportunities. The issue of job reservations for locals has been a longstanding political issue in the state. In January, Sardesai announced plans to introduce a Private Members’ Bill to reserve 80% of private sector jobs for locals.
However, state industries minister Mauvin Godinho considered this move impractical. Instead, he suggested linking local employment to incentives, proposing that only industries employing locals be eligible for government concessions.
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