Vol. 10 · pages 251–255

234 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES should be raised to Central control in cases where a Province does not desire to take on such control, or where in the interests of regional development extending beyond the boundaries of a Province, Central control may be considered necessary. In the case of electricity, as in the case of waterways, suitable schemes cannot be limited by provincial boundaries, and though there must clearly be the closest co-operation and co-ordination between the Centre and the Province, it does seem advisable that the Centre should be able to step in cases where State control is found necessary for regional development and where a Province does not itself wish to bring an undertaking under State control. I don’t think I can usefully add anything to what I have already said about questions arising out of the Agenda. However before I close, I would like to say how very necessary it is for you to bear in mind that whatever decision you take it must accord with the public opinion in the country regarding the future of Indian Economy. It would be a mistake to suppose that there is no Indian public opinion on the future of Indian Economy because one does that opinion is I do not wish to dogmatise although I am sure that it is far more Leftist than many are inclined to allow. The point I am anxious to emphasise is that the need for an accord between the plan and public opinion can hardly be exaggerated in a country like India which has as its ideal a Parliamentary system of Government. People talk about the success of planning in Russia. But they forget that the success is due largely to the fact that Russia has no Parliamentary Government. Planning in a Parliamentary Government where those who plan live under the constant threat of no confidence motions and cannot be sure whether they can remain long enough to put their plans through is a very doubtful proposition. Whether planned Economy is inconsistent with Parliamentary democracy and, if it is so, how the two can be reconciled is a very large theme and this is not the place to deal with it. All, therefore, I wish to do is to caution you that if our plans are not to be scrapped by our successors, we must lake care that they are in accord with what the large majority of people believe to be for the greatest good of the greatest number.

235 POST-WAR ELECTRIC POWER DEVELOPMENT Committee’s Recommendations The Policy Committee on “Public Works and Electric Power,” recommended that the development of electricity supply for areas outside existing licenced areas should be actively pursued, as far as possible, as a state or quasi-State enterprise. If for any reasons the State was not prepared to undertake such development in any area within a reasonable time, private enterprise should not be excluded. They further recommended that, provided efficient and economic operation could be assured to the public, options existing under any licence to acquire an undertaking should, as a general rule, be exercised when they arose. Steps should be taken to eradicate any factors that retarded the healthy and economical growth of electrical development on regional lines whether in Provincial, State or local authority—owned or in commercially—owned electrical undertakings. In another recommendation the Committee accepted the necessity of laying down financial principles for the control of electric public utilities both in the interests of public utilities as well as of the general public. An Advisory Board should be set up under Section 35 of the Electricity Act to advise Government on the nature, extent and method of application of such principles. On this Advisory Board there should be two representatives of the Central Government, two representatives appointed by agreement with the Provinces, and one representative of the Federation of Electricity Undertakings. The Board may appoint such assessors as may be necessary. The discussion on the proposal to amend Section 7 of the Indian Electricity Act of 1910, with a view to evolve a systematic and coherent policy for planning electrical development, raised a number of points for examination by the Central Government. The Committee agreed that the Act should be so amended as to give the Provincial Government the first option to lake over an undertaking. The question of amending the Act so as to give power to the Centre to take over electric undertakings, if Central control was considered necessary for inter-Provincial development, was discussed. There was difference of opinion on some aspects of the question, and it was decided that the matter should be further examined in consultation with the Provinces.

236 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES Government’s Training Schemes The Policy Committee welcomed the appointment of the Central Technical Power Board, and the Central Government’s scheme for sending ten Indian Engineers to receive training abroad on the commercial and administrative side of electricity supply industry. Four of these officers will receive training in the U.K., four in the U.S.A. with the Tennessey Valley Authority, and two in Canada. Two officers belong to the Central Government, four to Provincial Governments, two to State Governments and two to Public Electricity Supply Undertakings. The Government of India will bear the entire cost of the training of the two Central Government Officers. It was stated that while under this scheme Indian Engineers would be trained in the commercial and administrative aspects of electrical industry, Government intended to send two more batches for training in the technical aspects. The meeting which was presided over by the Hon’ble Dr. B. R. Ambedkar was attended by the Hon’ble Sir Ardeshir Dalal, Planning and Development Member, Government of India, the Hon’ble Mr. K. Shahbuddin, Minister of Commerce, Labour and Industries Department (Bengal), the Hon’ble Rai Bahadur Gokuldas, Minister for P.W.D. (Sind), Sir Mirza Ismail and Raja Dharam Karam Bahadur. Official representatives of the Central and Provincial Governments and non-officials representing the All-India Trade Union Congress, Federation of Electrical Undertakings and Indian Engineering Association also participated in the discussions. zz

41 * Government Policy re Mineral Resources of India Mr. K. C. Neogy : Sir, I beg to move : “That the demand under the head ‘Geological Survey’ be reduced by Rs. 100.” As indicated in the notice, my desire is to discuss Government’s policy with regard to the mineral resources of India. But, having regard to the hour I should like my Honourable friend to have as much time as possible for making a statement, which we all desire. I have already indicated to him the various points which I would have liked to deal with had I the time to make a speech on this occasion. As it is more important that we should have a statement from him than that I should make a speech, I should very much appreciate it if my Honourable friend could make an informative statement. Mr. Deputy President (Mr. Akhil Chandra Datta) : Cut motion moved. “That the demand under the head ‘Geological Survey’ be reduced by Rs. 100.” The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar (Labour Member) : Mr. Deputy President, I am indeed very glad that Mr. Neogy should have thought of such a cut motion as the one he has moved, because the cut motion gives Government the opportunity to explain its mineral policy which it had not got so far. There is so much ignorance and so much misunderstanding about the matter that I think it is in the interest of everybody that so important a matter as the mineral policy of the Government of India should be explained fully to the House. Sir, I regret, and I have no doubt that there are other Members of the House who will share that feeling that owing to the exigencies of the timetable, Mr. Neogy did not have the opportunity of making a verbal *Legislative Assembly Debates (Central), Vol. H of 1945, 12th March 1945, pp. 1383-85.

238 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES statement explaining the points he wanted to make. I quite appreciate, and indeed I am very grateful to him for having cut short his speech and gave his time to enable me to make a statement. Sir, this is a matter in which I think it is better to be very candid and say that the Government of India so far had really no mineral policy. It may be a ground for complaint. But it need not be a ground for surprise. The responsibility for the absence of a mineral policy has been sought to be placed in certain quarters at the door of the Geological Survey of India. I am sure that that is a wrong charge ; and I propose to devote the first few minutes that I have in order to dispel such an impression. I think it will be admitted that the mineral policy of any government is necessarily dependent upon the industrial policy of that government. Minerals necessarily play a great in the industrial development of the country and if the country has no industrial policy, obviously there cannot be a mineral policy at all. This House is aware that until the Government of India decided to have as its aim and object the reconstruction of the economic and industrial life of this country in the post-war period Government in this country played very small part in the industrialisation of the country. Dr. P. N. Banerjea : What a pity ! The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : Whether it is a matter for pity or whether it is a matter of anger is not for the moment my concern. All that I am trying to show is that if there has been no mineral policy, the fault is not of the Geological Survey of India. The fault lay with the Government of the day ; the fault perhaps lay with the Legislature and, it may be, with other organisations which were interested in the economic and industrial life of the country. The second reason why the Geological Survey did not play the part that geological surveys in other parts of the world do play is largely due to the fact that this is one of the departments which has always been under-staffed. I would like to tell the House a little history with regard to the staffing and the provision of the technical personnel of the Geological Survey of India. In 1920 sanction was obtained for an