Vol. 10 · pages 796–800

775L. A. DEBATES (CENTRAL) QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS a monthly contribution of Rs. 13,000 to the Indian Labour Federation through Mr. M. N. Roy. If so, for what purpose ? If the amount of contribution is more or less than this figure, will the Honourable Member please state the correct figure ? (b) Have any accounts been rendered for the money so contributed to the Indian Labour Federation ? If not, why not ? (c) If the reply to first portion of part (b) above be in the affirmative, will the Honourable Member please lay on the table of the House copies of such statements received for the last six months ? If not, why not ? The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar: (a) A monthly grant of Rs. 13,000 is made to the Indian Federation of Labour for doing propaganda to keep up the morale of industrial labour. (b) Yes, Sir. (c) No. The accounts are subject to the same scrutiny as all public accounts and no useful purpose would be served by placing them on the table. Mr. Lalchand Navalrai: Is he authorised to distribute that money to other persons for the purpose of propaganda ? The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : It is not given to him; the grant is made to the Indian Federation of Labour. Mr. Lalchand Navalrai: That means, the person who is in charge of the Federation. Can he distribute that money to other people asking them to go and do propaganda ? The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : I have no information as to how the money will be distributed. Mr. Lalchand Navalrai: Will the Honourable Member enquire into it because accounts have to be made ? The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : The accounts are audited as all other public accounts are. Mr. Lalchand Navalrai: Does the Honourable Member know how this amount is shown to have been distributed ? Is it shown by the audit? The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : I have no information, but the accounts are scrutinised in the same way as all other public accounts. Dr. Sir Zia Uddin Ahmad : Have the Federation made any rule and submitted the same to the Government, regulating the manner in which this grant should be spent ?

776 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : I have no information on that. Mr. Lalchand Navalrai: Will the Honourable Member make an enquiry into it ? The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : If the Honourable Member will care to put a question, I will make enquiries. Dr. Sir Zia Uddin Ahmad : I do not know how accounts will be audited if there are no rules for distribution. The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : I am sure that the public accounts officer must satisfy himself, that there are some rules according to which the money is spent. Mr. Badri Dutt Pande : Are there any other associations which are getting money like this ? The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : I must have notice of that question. Dr. Sir Zia Uddin Ahmad : There ought to be some rules by means of which it can be ensured that Mr. Roy does not spend the whole money on his friends. The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : I had no idea that the Honourable Member had any justification to presume that there were no rules. Dr. Sir Zia Uddin Ahmad : That is the impression which one gets, because Government showed ignorance. The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : Government have not shown ignorance. My answer was that the accounts are subject to the same scrutiny as other public accounts are. Mr. T. T. Krishnamachari : Has the Honourable Member satisfied himself that this is the only organisation that will help the Government to keep up the morale of labour ? The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : I have no information. I must have notice of that question. 211 * Ejectment Cases in Delhi Courts @ 782. Khan Bahadur Shaikh Fazl-i-Haq Piracha : (a) Will the Honourable the Labour Member be pleased to state the number of ejectment cases filed in Delhi Court since the extension of Punjab Rent * Legislative Assembly Debates (Central), Vol. III of 1944, 4th April 1944, pp. 1919-20. @ Answer to this question laid on the table, the questioner being absent.

777L. A. DEBATES (CENTRAL) QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS Restriction Act to Delhi Province ? How many have been disposed of and how many are still pending in Courts ? (b) Is he aware that immediately after enforcement of the Punjab Rent Restriction Act in Delhi Municipal Area, landlords asked a number of tenants to vacate residential houses and flats for landlords’ own occupation ? Are Government aware that a large majority of such claims was false and the houses were let to the same or other parties on payment of Nazrana ? (c) Will he be pleased to give instructions for enacting Control Orders throughout Delhi Province providing that no residential house or flat should be vacated so long as the tenant pays or is willing to pay controlled rent ? (d) Is he aware that landlords in Delhi generally refuse to carry out repairs to their property since the enforcement of Control Orders ? If so, will he be pleased to state what steps he proposes to take to penalise the landlords for refusing to attend to their property ? The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : (a) The number of suits instituted upto the 28th of March 1944 was 1,444. Of these 888 had been disposed of and 556 were pending. (b) Yes. I understand that the local authorities have received complaints to this effect. (c) Government have certain measures under consideration. (d) The local authorities have received some complaints and the matter is under consideration. 212 * Publication of Railway Labour Supervisor’s Annual Report 262. Mr. Lalchand Navalrai : With reference to the Honourable the Labour Member’s reply to unstarred question No. 43, asked on the 10th February, 1943, in regard to the publication of Railway Labour Supervisor’s annual report, will the Honourable Member ensure the publication of brief reports by way of press communiques for the information of interests concerned ? If not, why not ? * Legislative Assembly Debates (Central), Vol. III of 1944, 4th April 1944, pp. 1924-25.

778 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : The Honourable Member presumably refers to the unstarred question No. 43, asked on the 10th February 1944. The question of issuing Press Communiques on the annual reports of the Supervisor of Railway Labour, is under consideration of the Government. 213 * Maintenance of Roads within Shahdara, Delhi 263. Mr. G. Rangiah Naidu: Will the Honourable Member for Labour please state the authority (Municipal Committee or Central Public Works Department) responsible for the maintenance in good order of roads within the Shahdara Town, Delhi Province ? The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar: The Notified Area Committee, Shahdara, is responsible for the maintenance of roads within the Shahdara Town. 214 @ Applications under the Payment of Wages Act against Illegal Deductions, etc., on East Indian and North Western Railways 266. Mr. Ananga Mohan Dam : Will the Honourable Member for Labour please state the number of applications from Railway employees for direction under the Payment of Wages Act, for the refund of deductions and for the payment of delayed wages made since March 1938, against the East Indian and North Western Railway Administrations, respectively, together with the result of the disposal of those applications. If not, why not ? The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar: Attention of the Honourable Member is invited to the reply given to Mr. Muhammad Azhar Ali’s unstarred question No. 222 on 30th March 1944. * Legislative Assembly Debates (Central), Vol. III of 1944, 4th April 1944, p. 1925. @ Ibid., p. 1925.

779L. A. DEBATES (CENTRAL) QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 215 * Government Contribution to Indian Labour Federation 31. Mr. Lalchand Navalrai : (a) With reference to the reply to my starred question No. 776 given on the 4th April, 1944, will the Honourable the Labour Member be pleased to state whether the sum of Rs. 13,000 given monthly to the Indian Labour Federation has been distributed amongst the President, Vice-Presidents and other office-bearers of the Federation ? If so, in what proportion ? (b) Has the Honourable Member looked into the audited accounts of the Federation to find out how this money has been utilized ? If not, why not ? If so, does he propose to place the audited accounts on the table of the House from the date the subsidy of Rs. 13,000 a month was paid up to this day ? (c) Is it a fact that this question came up before the International Labour Conference, which met at Philadelphia in the form of the comparative representative character of the Indian Labour Federation and the All-India Trade Union Congress, and what was the decision of the Conference ? What has been decided for the future representation of the Indian Labour on the International Labour Conference to be given to an organization not living on subsidy ? (d) Have all the funds paid to the Indian Labour Federation been spent on the object for which they were given ? If so, will he give a brief account of the activities of the Federation in this respect ? If any part thereof has not been used for the purpose for which it was granted, will the Honourable Member please take steps to have that much portion refunded to the Government ? If not, why not ? The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : (a) The grant is made to the Indian Federation of Labour as an organisation and is not distributed among its several office bearers. (b) and (d) (First part) Government are not concerned with the accounts of the Federation, but with the manner in which the Government contribution has been spent by the Federation. They are satisfied that although full and regular accounts are not available for * Legislative Assembly Debates (Central), Vol. IV of 1944, 2nd November 1944, pp. 111-13.