New Nitaqat quotas difficult to implement, say Saudi business leaders

[email protected] (Arab News.)
January 29, 2015

Jeddah, Jan 29: Business people say the new Saudization quotas the Labor Ministry is introducing on April 20 would be difficult to implement because of a lack of skilled Saudi workers in the job market, with some calling for a delay of between one to three years.

Nitaqat quotas

Under the third phase of the Nitaqat program announced by the ministry, the Saudization quotas for big firms would be increased from 25 to 41 percent, the same as the retail and wholesale trade sector, while it would be raised from 29 to 66 percent for big groups.

“The ministry’s announcement has caused deep concern among companies because of a lack of qualified Saudi workers to fulfill the Nitaqat conditions during the specified period,” said Ibrahim Batterjee, chairman of the industrial committee at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI).

Batterjee said the implementation of Phase 3 of the Nitaqat program for downstream industries is one of the main problems facing businesses.

“The ministry has decided to increase the Saudization rate for all small and medium enterprises, and giant companies,” he said.

Companies have to meet the new Nitaqat quotas to expand their operations, get visas for workers and have access to the ministry’s other services. The Council of Saudi Chambers (CSC) has reportedly sent a letter to the ministry, requesting it to delay the implementation for three years.

“We understand the ministry’s desire to increase the Saudization rate to accommodate new Saudi graduates from universities and technical institutes,” Batterjee said.

However, he said the ministry must take into account the reality out in the market. “The market does not have an adequate number of qualified Saudi hands to fill industrial jobs. Private companies do not attract enough Saudi workers when they advertise to fill vacancies, even after offering good salaries and benefits,” he said. Employment centers of other chambers have also reported the same situation, he added.

Speaking with Arab News, Ibrahim Badawood, managing director of ALJ Community Initiatives, said the government must strengthen training programs to meet job market requirements. “Since 1980, the industrial sector has been saying they don’t get qualified Saudi workers. This means there is something wrong with the training program.”

Badawood urged the ministry to provide companies enough time, at least one year, to get qualified Saudi workers. “The problem is most Saudi graduates prefer either government jobs or white color jobs in the private sector,” Badawood said.

“To address this problem, companies must recruit secondary school graduates and give them proper training to fill their vacancies. The technical and vocational training centers should also change their programs to meet job market requirements.”

Khalaf Al-Otaibi, a member of the JCCI board, said the development of the country’s industries require a conducive regulatory environment. Adnan Mandoura, secretary-general of the JCCI, called for greater coordination between the industrial sector and related government departments. “The JCCI will work to remove the obstacles facing companies and make proposals to change or soften regulations.”

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News Network
March 28,2024

Mangaluru, Mar 28: Dakshina Kannada deputy commissioner Mullai Muhilan MP has warned the individuals and political parties against the poll code violations during private events. 
 
“Private events such as marriages, birthdays, housewarming ceremonies, and other non-political programmes do not require any permission. However, one should ensure that there is no violation of the model code of conduct (MCC) at these functions. Permission is needed if the events are attended by politicians or candidates,” the DC said. 

He said that these gatherings will be under the surveillance of MCC teams, as there are chances of luring voters by campaigning and supplying food, said the DC. The district has 38,386 new voters, of which, 19,619 are men.

He said that the notification of election in Dakshina Kannada Lok Sabha constituency will be issued soon, and the filing of nominations will be held between 11 am and 3 pm till April 4. 

Only five persons, including the candidate, will be allowed to enter the returning officer’s chamber to submit the nominations. A facilitation centre will be opened at the DC’s office. 

The expenditure of the candidate will be counted from the day the candidate files the nomination.

The DC said that the district is not an expenditure-sensitive constituency. Assistant expenditure observers and expenditure observers will monitor the expenditure of the candidates. An expenditure book will be provided to the candidate to record expenditure incurred, he explained.

Further, he said that no election materials can be printed without the name and address of the publishers, and the number of copies printed. Separate permission should be availed for procession prior to the submission of nomination papers from the ARO office, through the single-window system.

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News Network
March 21,2024

visa.jpg

Mangaluru: A man from Dakshina Kannada was duped of Rs 2.5 lakh after he was promised a Poland visa.

In a complaint, a resident of Belthangady, stated that the accused, Manoj, had promised a job for his son in Poland. 

Between May 22 of last year and March 19, he handed over Rs 2.2 lakh in various phases, citing different reasons.

However, since the accused failed to provide a visa or return the money, a case was registered at the Dharmasthala police station under IPC sections 417 and 420.

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News Network
March 22,2024

Tejaswi.jpg

Bengaluru, Mar 22: An FIR has been registered against BJP MP Tejasvi Surya over a provocative hate post on social media, Election Commission officials said on Friday.

The move comes after a complaint filed by officials of the poll body and Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) that the Bengaluru South MP, who is also the President of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, had in a post apparently targeted a minority and spread enmity between two communities.

He also made a similar post on March 19 on X and YouTube which went viral. He has 1.3 million followers on X, thereby influencing the voters and disturbing the communal harmony between the communities, it further alleged.

Based on the complaint, an FIR was registered at Halasuru Gate police station on March 20 under sections 153 A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony), 295 A (Deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) of the Indian Penal Code and the Representation of the People Act, the officials said.

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