The Karnataka government has released a draft of the Karnataka Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Employment and Education Bill, 2025, reserving opportunities in employment and education in both government and private institutions for people with disabilities.
The draft was notified in the official gazette on November 21 and brings state policy in line with the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, and obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). If enacted, Karnataka will become the first state to introduce a private-sector job quota for persons with disabilities.
Under the proposed law, private establishments must reserve 5 percent of sanctioned posts, including direct recruitment and regularised positions, for persons with disabilities.
The quota will be implemented in phases, and companies must file annual compliance reports. Exemptions will be considered only if essential job functions cannot be performed even with reasonable accommodation.
Violations may attract fines ranging from Rs 10,000 to Rs 5 lakh, along with corrective directions and public disclosure of non-compliance.
The bill prohibits discrimination in recruitment, promotion, training and service conditions, and mandates reasonable accommodation — including assistive devices, flexible work arrangements and required physical modifications.
All educational institutions, both government and private, will be required to reserve 10 percent of seats in every course for students with disabilities.
Institutions must take into consideration the needs of students and make arrangements for the necessary infrastructure and offer reasonable accommodation for classroom instruction and examinations, including extended time, scribes and alternative question papers.
The bill proposes a State Regulatory Authority to monitor compliance, conduct audits, issue guidelines and publish annual reports.
The Labour Department has invited objections and suggestions within 30 days of publication, addressed to the Principal Secretary, Labour Department, Vikasa Soudha, Bengaluru.
Labour Minister Santosh Lad said that Karnataka is leading the country in creating inclusive policy frameworks. “This is one of the many firsts. We want to support persons with disabilities, whom I wish to call persons with determination. No state has a job quota for PwD in the private sector, and we are pushing for it,” he said. The proposal is expected to be taken up at the next Cabinet meeting.
G Manjunath, Additional Labour Commissioner, said the Bill is currently in the draft stage. “It will be a first-of-its-kind state-specific legislation to protect the interests of PwDs. It will be submitted to the government shortly,” he said.