The government proposed to initiate a dialogue with political parties, industry and other bodies on how best the private sector can fulfil the aspirations of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes.
President A P K Abdul Kalam told a joint session of Parliament that the government is sensitive to the issue of affirmative action, including reservations in the private sector, and is committed to faster socio-economic and educational development of the SCs and STs.
Reservation quotas in government, including those relating to promotions, will be fulfilled in a time-bound manner, he said adding appropriate legislation will be enacted to codify all policies on reservations.