Bengaluru, (DHNS): Kannada Sahitya Parishat (KSP), the representative body of Kannada-speaking people, has started an initiative to help unemployed youths, who have discontinued education after Class 10, to get employment.

The KSP has revised its website with an application form for employment in Group C and D categories. So far, it has received over 3,000 applications.

The Parishat's president Manu Baligar told DH, "We have processed (and sent) these applications to Multinational Companies (MNCs) for perusal". It has tied up with 475 MNCs and employment providing organisations. Our duty is not to ensure employment opportunities, but to receive applications and forward them to MNCs. It's up to the MNCs to recruit the candidates."

He said the MNCs have always claimed that they are not getting Kannada-speaking candidates for Group C and D posts. There are many candidates who search for employment after Class 10, he added.

"My nephew, a staffer with an MNC in the USA, suggested an idea that the Parishat can act as a bridge between the MNCs and the candidates who have passed Class 10. I decided to use my experience as an officer and provide a platform to such candidates," Baligar, a retired KAS officer, added.

He said that the government and the Parishat have been working to ensure priority for Kannadigas in Group C and D group posts. The MNCs could no longer claim that Kannadigas are not available for jobs, he said.

The application forms are available in Kannada and English on the KSP's website ---- http://kannadasahithyaparishattu.in/ --- to help employers. It has constituted a committee, headed by critic S R Vijayashankar, to share necessary information about the candidates with employers.

Reputed firms, like Bosch and a few others, have voluntarily contacted the Parishat seeking information about candidates, Baligar said.
"The Parishat has no intention of conducting a job fair during Kannada Sahitya Sammelanas as has been suggested by a few," he clarified.