Vol. 10 · pages 1031–1035

1010 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES items, their qualities and numbers, on which these unweighted group index numbers are based ? The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : (a) The Government of India decided in 1942 to undertake a scheme for the compilation of cost of living index numbers on uniform lines. As the preparation of such index numbers was likely to take some time, it was felt that retail price data should be available as this might be of some value in wage disputes. Government, therefore, decided as an interim measure, after consultation with Provincial Governments to collect price data for certain selected centres in the country and to prepare index numbers based on such data. (b) The items constituting the groups are not published. There is no particular reason except the desirability of limiting space in the Gazette. (c) A statement regarding the number of items included in each group in the Retail Index Number for each centre is placed on the table of the House. The main criteria adopted for deciding upon the list were the consumption habits of the class of the community concerned and the availability of comparable price data. Statement showing the number of items included in the various groups for each centre for which retail price index numbers are being published in the Indian Labour Gazette. I—URBAN CENTRES Cere- als Pulses Other Arti- cles of food All food Fuel & Light- ing Cloth- ing Miscel- laneous Total 1 Ajmer … 7 5 15 27 3 9 2 11 2. Hubli … 2 4 13 19 3 5 6 33 3. Surat … 3 3 11 17 3 7 6 33 4. Dohad … 3 3 12 18 3 6 4 31 5. Akola … 3 3 14 20 4 8 6 38 6. Delhi … 9 3 16 28 5 5 6 44 7. Rawalpindi … 4 3 16 23 3 5 5 36 8. Amritsar … 4 3 15 23 3 6 4 36 9. Ludhiana … 4 3 17 24 3 6 4 37 10. Sialkot … 4 3 15 22 3 5 4 34 11. Lucknow … 9 3 10 22 3 9 7 41 12. Agra … 9 3 10 22 3 9 7 41 13. Bareilly … 9 3 10 22 3 9 7 41 14. Gauhati … 3 4 19 26 3 6 7 42 15. Tinsukia … 16. Dehri-on-Sone … 5 3 11 19 4 3 6 32

1011 L. A. DEBATES (CENTRAL) QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS Cere- als Pulses Other Articles of food All food Fuel & Light- ing Cloth- ing* Miscel- laneous Total 17. Patna … 5 3 12 20 4 4 6 34 18. Cutuck … 1 4 17 22 3 4 8 37 19. Berhampore … 3 2 19 24 3 3 5 35 20. Khewra … 4 3 16 23 3 5 4 35 21. Karachi … 4 2 16 22 4 4 2 32 22. Benares … 4 3 10 17 3 9 7 36 23. Meerut … 9 3 10 22 3 9 7 41 24. Howrah … 25. Budge-Budge … 26. Kankinara … 27. Narayanganj … 28. Serampore … 4 4 16 24 5 5 7 41 29. Gauripore … 30. Kancharapara … 31. Kharagpur … 32. Calcutta … 33. Raniganj … * In the Indian Labour Gazette, it has already been stated that due to changes in clothing grades, it has not been found possible to work out the index numbers for the clothing group. II—RURAL CENTRES Cere- Als Pulses Other Articles of food All food Fuel & Lighting Cloth- ing Miscel- laneous Total 1. Burma … 1 2 8 11 2 3 5 21 2. Maibang … 1 2 10 13 2 6 5 26 3. Rajapur … 1 2 14 17 3 6 5 31 4. Shankargarh … 7 3 8 18 2 3 4 27 5. Sonaili … 3 3 12 18 2 6 5 31 6. Multapi … 2 4 9 15 2 5 4 26 7. Nana … 4 2 13 19 3 5 3 30 8. Salamatpur … 3 4 12 19 2 4 3 28 9. Shujabad … 5 4 11 20 4 6 3 33 10. Gujarkhan … 2 4 12 18 3 6 2 29 11. Krishna … 2 2 14 18 2 6 4 30 12. Lakh … 2 3 10 15 2 5 3 25 13. Malur … 3 4 13 20 2 4 5 31 14. Muniguda … 2 3 13 18 2 4 4 28 15. Kudehi … 2 2 13 17 3 7 4 31 Prof. N. G. Ranga : Are figures being collected of the actual prices being paid by the working classes, or only the prices that are supposed to be scheduled to be paid in the retail shops ? The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : I think if my Honourable friend waits there will be an answer to the next question by Mr. Ayyangar in which you will find the information about family budget.

1012 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES Prof. N. G. Ranga : What information have Government collected and kept in their possession of the prices which are actually prevailing in the blackmarket in which alone the ordinary working class people in towns are able to purchase most of their necessities ? The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : I do not think Government have any information on blackmarket prices. Prof. N. G. Ranga : Will Government collect that information ? The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : That suggestion, I must say, does not commend itself to me. Mr. President : Order, order. Next question. 423 * Alternative Employment to Women Previously Working Underground in Mines 152. Miss Maniben Kara : Will the Honourable the Labour Member be pleased to state : (a) how many women were employed underground in coal mines in India before the last day that the ban on the employment of women underground in mines was reimposed ; (b) how many of the women mentioned in (a) have been given alternative employment since the imposition of the ban on women working underground; (c) the nature of alternative employment provided to them ? (d) how their earnings in the new employment compare with their earnings while working underground ; (e) apart from wages what the other concessions are that they have lost as a result of ceasing to work underground; and (f) what steps Government, propose to take in order to compensate them for their loss of earnings and other concessions ? The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : (a) About 20,000. (b) No exact figures are available but approximately 50 per cent of the women mentioned in (a) have been given alternative employment since the re-imposition of ban. Of the remaining 50 per cent. about *Legislative Assembly Debates (Central), Vol. IV of 1946, 21st March 1946, p. 2716.

1013 L. A. DEBATES (CENTRAL) QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS half have gone to their villages while some of the remainder are sitting down at colleries because they are refusing contract work e.g. coal loading ? (c) Loading of coal on surface, loading and unloading of sand and removing of overburden in quarries. (d) The earnings of women so employed are from ten to twelve annas per day (excluding half seer free rice and bonus of two annas for each woman) as against twelve annas to fourteen annas per day paid to underground workers. (e) Women so employed have lost the concession of free supply of milk which was granted only by reason of working underground. (f) Attention of the Honourable Member is invited to the answer given in reply to part (b) of starred question No. 466 on the 25th February 1946. 424 * Amendment in the Rent Control Orders in Delhi 1239. Pandit Thakur Das Bhargava : Will the Honourable the Labour Member kindly state : (a) whether it is a fact that prior to January, 1944, the Rent Control Orders in Delhi permitted a landlord to get a tenant ejected if the house was required for his own use ; (b) whether it is a fact that the above mentioned orders were amended in January, 1944, and the revised order precluded landlords residing in Delhi from ejecting tenants even if the houses were required for their own use ; if so, the reasons for the amendment ; (c) whether their attention has been drawn to a letter from a house-owner in the Hindustan Times of the 22nd December, 1945 ; (d) whether Government propose to consider the advisability of restoring to landlords the right to eject a tenant in case they required their houses for their own use ; and (e) if it is a fact that house situation has become easier than before * Legislative Assembly Debates (Central), Vol. IV of 1946, 27th March 1946, p. 2964.

1014 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES in Delhi and that Government have consequently decided to demolish temporary Government building constructed during the war? The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : (a) Yes; a landlord could get a tenant ejected, under the New Delhi House Rent Control Order, 1939, only when the Rent Controller was satisfied that the house was reasonably and in good faith, required by the landlord. (b) Yes ; the expressions ‘reasonably and in good faith’ occurring in the Old Clause of the New Delhi House Rent Control Order 1939 gave unscrupulous landlords an opportunity of forcing tenants to pay more than the controlled rents. It was also found necessary to debar landlords from evicting tenants of long standing (whose presence in Delhi was essential), especially when the landlords were already residing in Delhi. Consequently clause 11-A of the New Delhi House Rent Control Order, 1939, was enacted. (c) Yes. (d) No. Not till the housing position in Delhi improves. (e) The answer to the first half of the question is in the negative. Government propose to demolish buildings only when they are no longer required for any essential purpose, or where it is considered essential in the interests of the housing position itself that temporary structures should be replaced by permanent buildings. Mr. Manu Subedar : May I enquire whether Government will look into the question: when a tenant rents out to a subtenant, even then do Government propose to leave the tenant secure in the possession of his house, even when the tenant is profiteering ? The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : I shall consider that question. Prof. N. G. Ranga : We are not interested in the demolishing of these temporary Government buildings. Are these house owners or the Government themselves interested in their demolition ? The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : I did not follow the question. Prof. N. G. Ranga : Part (e) of the question says, “If it is a fact that the house situation has become easier than before in Delhi and that Government have consequently decided to demolish temporary Government buildings constructed during the war ?”