Vol. 10 · pages 411–415

394 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES Other items discussed by the Committee were the desirability of Central legislation for unregulated factories, amendments to the Trade Disputes Act, the extent of unemployment likely to occur in industries, the attitude of Employment Exchanges during strikes or lock-outs and the Mine Workers’ Charter proposed by the I.L.O. Representatives of the Central and Provincial Governments, Indian States, and employers’ and employees’ organisations attended the meeting. Lala Kripa Narain, Mr. Shanti Lal Mangaldas Mr. Bhagwandas C. Mehta, the Hon’ble Mr. H.D. Townend and Rai Bahadur Syamnandan Sahay were the delegates on behalf of the employers and Messrs. N.M. Joshi, N.V. Phadke, V.S. Karnik, A.K. Mukerjee and R.R. Bhole represented the workers. *SOCIAL SECURITY OF LABOUR Rege Committee Reports Data relating to all aspects of labour conditions embodied in 35 reports running to nearly two million words have been complied by the Labour Investigation Committee appointed by the Government of India on February 12, 1944, with Mr. D.V. Rege I.C.S., as Chairman and Mr. S. R. Deshpande, Dr. Ahmad Mukhtar and Prof. B. P. Adarkar as members. Twenty of these reports were placed on the table of the House in the Central Legislative Assembly on April 9, by the Hon’ble Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, Labour Member. The data collected by the Committee relate to the wages and earnings, employment, housing and social conditions of labour in 38 selected industries, namely : Mining—Coal, Manganese, Gold, Mica, Iron Ore and Salt: Plantations—Tea, Coffee and Rubber: Factories—Cotton, Jute, Silk, Woolen, Mineral Oil, Dockyard, Engineering, Cement, Matches, Paper, Carpet weaving, Coirmatting, Tanneries and Leather Goods Manufacture, Potteries, Printing Presses, Glass Chemical and Pharmaceutical Works, Shellac, Bidi-making, Mica Splitting, Sugar, Cotton, Ginning and Baling and Rice Mills ; Transport—Tramways and Buses and Non-gazetted Railway Staff; and Other Types—Port Labour, Municipal Labour, Central P.W.D., and Rickshaw Pullers. This is expected to help the future planning of social security for labour and legislation by the Government. *Indian Information, April 15, 1946, p. 568.

395 MISCELLANEOUS The Sampling Method As it was felt that the peculiar problems of labour had more an industry-wise than a region-wise dispersion, the Committee adopted the sampling method and conducted an industry-wise survey throughout India. During their two years of work, the Chairman and the members individually toured the whole of the country visiting 65 Industrial centres as far apart as Srinagar and Trichinopoly, Quetta and Shillong. On-the-spot investigations were carried out in 528 centres including plantation estates and mines. No less than, 1,631 establishments relating to various industries were surveyed. Questionnaires containing hundreds of questions were issued to various industrial concerns, Provincial and State Governments, Officials and Employers’ and Employees’ Organisations. The quantity of factual material analysed on the Committee may be illustrated by the fact that with regard to the wage census alone 34,080 forms were received. The Committee employed a field staff containing of 16 Supervisors and 45 Investigators who were sent out on ad hoc surveys. This staff not only collected information on the spot at the various centres but also drew upon some other possible source of information. They personally contacted employers, workers and officials during the course of their investigations. Representative centres were selected region-wise for the survey so as to discover differences in the conditions of labour in the same industry in different parts of the country. The selection of a concern was generally based on its importance, size, etc., and whether it was subject to statutory regulations or not. Enquiries related to protection given by existing Labour legislation, wages and earnings of labour, working conditions, indebtedness, age and mortality statistics, welfare activities and social security measures. The Committee were considerably assisted in their work by Provincial and Stale Governments, local bodies, port authorities and Employers’ and Employees’ Organisations. DEPARTMENT OF WORKS, MINES AND POWER The division of the Labour Department with the establishment of a new Department of Works, Mines and Power, came into effect on April 8.

396 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES The Department of Works, Mines and Power will deal with such subjects as the central Public Works Department and execution of Central Works Projectors, Civil Engineering, Mines and Minerals, the Geological Survey of India, Major Irrigation Works including Central Waterways, Irrigation and Navigation Commission, Electricity and Stationery and Printing. The Labour Department will continue to deal with all subjects connected with the I.L.O., Welfare of Labour, Labour Relations, and Security Measures, Legislation and Enforcement of Labour Laws, Safety Measures, Resettlement of Ex-Servicemen and Women, Technical and Vocational Training Schemes, Labour Laws and Statistics, Research and Investigation. Both Departments will be in the charge of the Hon’ble Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, Labour Member. Coal production will however remain temporarily in the charge of the Industries and Supplies Member. The Hon’ble Mr. H.C. Prior will be Secretary of the Department of Works, Mines and Power and Mr. S. Lall, Secretary of the Department of Labour. *THE DAMODAR PROJECT Quick investigation of the possibility of starting immediately the construction of the first dam (at Tilaiya) in the Rs. 55 crores Damodar River Project was recommended at a conference of the representatives of the Central Government and the Governments of Bengal and Bihar held in New Delhi, on April 23 and 24 under the Chairmanship of the Hon’ble Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, Labour Member, Government of India. This multi-purpose scheme is intended to control the floods of the Damodar and its tributaries, provide perennial irrigation and power for the benefit of nearly 4,000,000 people living in the valley and also provide navigation facilities. The whole scheme comprises a series of eight dams and reservoirs which when constructed will impound about 4,700,000 acre-feet of water for irrigating some 800,000 acres of land and produce nearly 350,000 kws. of electricity. *Indian Information, June 1, 1946, p. 682.

397 MISCELLANEOUS Maithon Dam After considering the reports of the central Technical Power Board and the advice of the Tennessee Valley Authority engineers, Messrs. Ross Reigel and Fred C. Schlemmer, and their associates, Rai Bahadur A.N. Khosla and Mr. M. Narasimhaiya, Chief Engineer, Mysore State, the conference was convinced-of the advisability of pushing forward as rapidly as possible the scheme as a whole. It has accepted the proposal that the dams across the Barakar, tributary of the Damodar, should be at Tilaiya (near Kodarma) and at Maithon, just above its confluence with the main river. The conference felt, however, that the start of construction of the larger Maithon dam must be postponed to October 1947, as it was not posssible for both the Bihar and Bengal Governments to enter into definite commitments in sufficient time to enable contracts to be entered into with engineers and contractors, which must necessarily be done almost at once if a start were to be made by October 1946— the only other alternative. This postponement would, however, give time to consider in detail a proposal to raise the height of the dam at Maithon rather than consturct a second reservoir in the mid-Barakar area. In respect of the Tilaiya dam, it was felt that there were fewer difficulties in making a start. Its early construction would not only provide water for irrigation and facilitate resettlement problems but also power which would be useful in the construction of the Maithon dam. The conference, therefore, advised quick investigation of the possibility of starting work on the Tilaiya dam in advance of other projects. The representatives of the Bengal and Bihar Governments stated that their Governments would not be able to carry out the scheme themselves and suggested the appointment of an Authority for administering the scheme. The Government of India said they proposed to appoint Mr. B.K. Gokhale, formerly Adviser to the Governor of Orissa, to look into administrative aspects and prepare within six months a scheme for the Damodar Valley Authority. Compensation for Land Acquired It was decided that full and fair compensation should be paid for the land acquired for the purpose of constructing reservoirs and that

398 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES payment should, as far as possible, be in kind, by giving land for land. The officer-in-charge of administration will prepare a detailed scheme for the settlement of dispossessed persons on new land so as to ensure to them a source of livelihood at least as good as they enjoyed on their original lands. The conference agreed that the cost of investigations and surveys should be shared between the Central and the Provincial Governments concerned and that the general supervision should be under the central Technical Power Board, and in irrigation and navigation matters the Central Waterways, Irrigation and Navigation Commission. *SCHEDULED CASTES AND CENTRAL SERVICES By a Resolution published in the Gazette of India of June 15, 1946, the Government of India have decided to increase the reservation in favour of Scheduled Castes of vacancies filled by direct recruitment in the Central Services from 8 13 per cent, to 12½ per cent, so as to bring it in accord with the population ratio. Rules (1) and (2) in paragraph 4 of the Resolution of August 11, 1943, are accordingly amended as follows :— “(1) 12.5 per cent of all vacancies to be filled by the direct recruitment of Indians in the Central Services to which recruitment is made on an all-India basis will be reserved for Scheduled Castes.” “(2) In the case of services to which recruitment is made by local areas or circles and not on an all-India basis (e.g., Subordinate posts in the Railways, Posts & Telegraphs Department, the Customs Services, the Income Tax Department, etc.) the over-all reservation of 12.5 per cent. of vacancies for Scheduled Castes candidates will be obtained by fixing a percentage for each local area or circle having regard to the population of the Scheduled Castes in the area or circle concerned and the rules for recruitment adopted by the Provincial Government of the area or circle concerned.” zz *Indian Information, July 15, 1946, p. 34.