Vol. 10 · pages 611–615

590 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES 23 * Plan for Providing Against Mass— Unemployment of Indian Labour @ 103. Mr. Govind V. Deshmukh : Will the Honourable Member for Labour please state if he has planned any scheme to provide against mass unemployment of Indian Labour so that it may enjoy freedom from want of necessaries of life ? If so, what ? The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : No formal scheme to provide against mass unemployment has been planned. In War time the scope for employment has increased enormously. As regards post-war conditions, the Reconstruction Committee appointed in the Commerce Department will devote attention to them. 24 † Monopoly of Export of Mica to the Joint Mica Mission and Metal Reserve Company of the United States of America 105. Babu Baijnath Bajoria : (a) Will the Honourable the Labour Member please state if it is a fact that when the Joint Mica Mission assumed control of export of Mica from this country, they gave an undertaking to the Government of India that they would purchase the entire production of Indian Mica ? (b) If the answer to the part (a) be in the affirmative, what steps are Government taking for the implementing of this undertaking ? (c) Is the Honourable Member aware that the Joint Mica Mission is purchasing only scheduled qualities of Mica and refuses to purchase other qualities, e.g. lower grade splittings and Block Mica, and many a time refuses to purchase even certain scheduled qualities, which has resulted in large stocks of these qualities remaining unsold in the hands of Indian merchants ? * Legislative Assembly Debates (Central), Vol. I of 1943, 16th February 1943, p. 281. @ Answer to this question laid on the table, the questioner being absent. † Legislative Assembly Debates (Central), Vol. I of 1943, 16th February 1943, pp. 282-83.

591 L. A. DEBATES (CENTRAL) QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS (d) What steps are Government taking so that the industry may be able to dispose of its stocks of qualities not purchased by the Joint Mica Mission ? (e) Are Government prepared to permit the export of Mica by private firms to the United States of America and other Allied countries ? If not, why not ? (f) Are Government aware that since the Joint Mica Mission is controlling the purchase and export of Mica, the production of loose Mica splittings has considerably decreased and several thousands of workers have been thrown out of employment due to the closing of numerous factories and home splitting centres ? The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : (a) The Joint Mica Mission has not assumed control of export of mica from this country. It has, however, undertaken to purchase all mica offered to it which is of merchantable quality and which is trimmed and graded to the usual recognised trade standards. (b) Government have no reason to suppose that the Mission is not implementing the undertaking. (c) The Mission is only purchasing scheduled qualities of mica ; no other qualities are merchantable among the United Nations. Such qualities can however be exported to neutral countries provided they do not conflict with any general orders issued by Government. The Mission never refuses to purchase schdeuled qualities of mica provided they arc up to the Mission’s standards. The Government of India are not aware that there arc any large stocks of scheduled qualities of mica remaining unsold. (d) Qualities of mica not purchased by the Joint Mica Mission are not merchantable in the United Nations. Government are accordingly not taking steps to assist the industry to dispose of such stocks. In the unlikely event of such stocks being merchantable in neutral countries, Government have no objection to the issue of licences for the export of such stocks provided they do not conflict with any general orders issued by Government. (e) Export of mica by private firms is not prohibited. The United Nations will however not import mica by private firms but will only import mica purchased by the Joint Mica Mission. The United Nations require all merchantable mica which the mica industry in India can

592 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES produce. The sale of mica to the United Nations has been canalised through the Joint Mica Mission because the United Nations including the Government of India consider that a single purchasing agency buying on the spot provides the quickest and easiest means of providing mica in the very large quantities now required by the United Nations. (f) The United Nations already have considerable stocks of mica splittings and their principal requirements are now of block mica. Nevertheless the Mission continues to buy all mica which comes split from the mines. They will not however buy mica which is split from old dumps and such mica is no longer merchantable among the United Nations. Such mica can however be sold in neutral countries provided such sale does not conflict with any general orders issued by Government. Government are not aware that any factories have been closed, although possibly a number of home splitting centres may have been closed. Babu Baijnath Bajoria : As regards part (a), again I repeat the question that there is a demand for Mica of other varieties in America and that is not being allowed to be exported. The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar: I am not aware of that. Babu Baijnath Bajoria : Will you make inquiries ? If there is a demand in the U.S.A. of the qualities which this Mission does not buy then private firms should be allowed to export those qualities to America. The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar: I will make inquiries. 25 * Fixation of Prices of Grades of Mica by the Joint Mica Mission 106. Babu Baijnath Bajoria : (a) Is the Honourable the Labour Member aware that the Joint Mica Mission fixes the prices of the various grades of Mica without any consultation with the representatives of the industry ? * Legislative Assembly Debates (Central), Vol. I of 1943, 16th February 1943, p. 283.

593 L. A. DEBATES (CENTRAL) QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS (b) Is the Honourable Member aware that the Joint Mica Mission raised the standards considerably, compared to those of the Metal Reserve Company who bought through the Director, Geological Survey of India ? (c) Arc Government aware that the Joint Mica Mission has reduced its purchasing prices by 10 per cent to 30 per cent from the ruling prices in the market and the factories are compelled to sell their products at their rates for want of any other outlet ? (d) Is it a fact that the Government of India accepted the reduction in prices as mentioned in part (c) above ? (c) Arc Government prepared to appoint an advisory committee consisting of representatives of mine-owners and factory-owners to advise the Joint Mica Mission on the question of fixation of prices of different qualities ? If not, why not ? The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : (a) Before fixing the prices of various grades of mica, the Joint Mica Mission have invariably consulted the mica industry, including representatives of individual firms both in Bihar and Madras. (b) The Joint Mica Mission has not raised the standards considerably. It has however raised the standards slightly in certain cases although no change has been made in splittings and films. Wherever the standard has been raised the price has been raised in proportion. Taking pre-Mission standard and price as 100, the Mission standard where it has been raised is 105 and the Mission price 110. The range of standards required by the Metals Reserve Company when buying through the Director of the Geological Survey of India was small compared with the very wide range of scheduled standards being dealt with by the Mission. (c) The Joint Mica Mission has not reduced its purchasing prices by 10 per cent to 30 per cent. (d) Does not arise. (e) No. The prices offered by the Mission were fixed after consultation with the representatives of the mica industry and with the approval of the Government of India. They are in the opinion of the Government of India fair prices and the Government of India see no justification for the appointment of an Advisory Committee.

594 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES Babu Baijnath Bajoria : What objection can the Government have to appoint an advisory committee consisting of representatives of mincowners and factories ? That will strengthen their hands and that of the Mica Mission for purchasing the requirements of Mica. The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : The answer as stated in part (e) is that the Mica Mission does fix the price after consultation with the representatives of the Mica industry. Babu Baijnath Bajoria : I do not think that is correct. 26 * Irregularities in Payment of Wages to Railway Staff 109. Mr. Lalchand Navalrai : (a) Will the Honourable the Labour Member be pleased to state when the Payment of Wages Act, IV of 1936, was made applicable to the Railways in India, (b) Is it a fact that several irregularities in the payment to staff have been noticed by the Labour Inspectors ? (c) Is it a fact that the Conciliation Officer (Railways) and the Supervisor of Railway Labour, who is the Inspector under the Act, generally tries to report these irregularities to the administrations concerned for relief, if any could be given ? (d) Is it not a fact that in several cases of late payments, etc., relief can be given lo the affected employees when once the provisions of the Payment of Wages Act have been violated ? Arc prosecutions launched in such cases to act as a deterrent ? If not, why not ? (e) Have any prosecutions been launched against the Railway Paymasters or the administration ? If so, does the Honourable Member propose to lay a statement of such cases on the table of the House ? The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : (a) 28th March, 1937. (b) Yes. (c) The irregularities detected are brought to the notice of the Railway Administration for rectification. * Legislative Assembly Debates (Central), Vol. I of 1943, 16th February 1943, p. 285.