The Gujarat government cannot enact a law requiring industries to give 85 per cent of their jobs to local residents due to certain constitutional provisions, Minister of Labour and Employment Balvantsinh Rajput told the legislative assembly on Thursday. Responding to a query raised by Congress MLA Tushar Chaudhary, Rajput pointed out that Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution prevent a state government from enacting a law which mandates that 85 per cent jobs in an industrial unit must be given to locals. Article 14 of the Constitution guarantees equality and equal protection of the law, while Article 21 guarantees the right to life and personal liberty. In March 1995, the then-BJP government in the state, through a government resolution (GR), had ordered all commercial entities, including central PSUs and private factories, to hire 85 per cent of their workforce from Gujarat, said Rajput. Chaudhary wanted to know how many industrial units had violated the GR on local hiring in ...