This was communicated in a letter written by Tata chairman Ratan N Tata to Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Meira Kumar on behalf of the industry. Twenty-one industrialists have signed a statement, which he forwarded to her.
Welcoming the support extended to the government by 22 leading industrialists in addressing this important social goal, Meira Kumar told said it was a "historic breakthrough" given the stiff opposition from them initially.
"This is the first step in this long journey to see how best the private sector can fulfil the aspirations of the SC/ST youth.
"There was a time when industrialists vehemently opposed the idea of affirmative action including reservation. But now they have come on a common platform," she said circulating a joint statement issued by prominent industrialists Kumar Magalam Birla, Ratan Tata, Sunil Kant Munjal and Jamshyd N Godrej.
To a specific question whether the government did not intend to introduce a Bill in this regard, the minister said the government would abide by the parameters laid down in the Naitonal Common Minimum Programme, which did not have any reference to legislative action.
In a statement the captains of industry said "We are reassured to learn from the government that it has no intention of resorting to legislative action to impose a statutory obligation of reservations on industry".
Kumar said soon after the announcement of the NCMP she had met Tata to discuss the issue of affirmative action including reservation in the private sector as part of initiating a national dialogue with all political parties, industry and other organisations.
She said that after her meeting with Tata, a group of like-minded captains of industry endorsed the government's commitment to provide greater economic opportunities to the SCs and STs.
The industry committed to expand their current activities for SC/ST persons with regard to scholarships, company run private schools, partnership with government schools, vocational training, and vendor development programmes, she said adding that the CII has already worked out a skill upgradation and higher skill development programme.
The joint statement was also signed industrialists including N R Narayana Murthy, Azim Premji, Rahul Bajaj, Deepak Parekh and Tarun Das.
While noting that the imperatives of a competitive economy required that industry place a premium on merit, the statement said that at the same time it recognised that merit is not a natural phenomenon, but shaped by social circumstances.
"We must therefore create an environment where youth from SC/ST can become as meritorious as any other youth... the need is not just to provide jobs".
"This statement from the doyens of the industry will go along way in giving the SC and ST youth of our country their rightful place in the private sector," the minister added.
