Vol. 10 · pages 816–820

795L. A. DEBATES (CENTRAL) QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS in that Zone at the time the recruitment was made. This deficiency in the Eastern Zone will be made good gradually as suitable 0XVOLPV EHFRPH DYDLODEOH ‡ There is no deficiency of Muslims in any other grade either in the Eastern or in the Western Zone. 226 * Paper Annually supplied to Bureau of Public Information, etc. 39. Bhai Parma Nand : Will the Honourable Member for Industries and Civil Supplies please state the quantity of paper supplied in each year since 1941 to (i) the Bureau of Public Information, (ii) the Counter-Propaganda Directorate, (iii) Film Publicity, (iv) External Publicity and (v) Foreign Publicity ? The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : As the question concerns the Labour Department I am answering it. The information as far as readily available is given in the statement below:— Statement Indentor Tonnage consumed during 1-443 to 31-3-44 Tonnage consumed during 1-4-44 to 31-8-44 (i) Bureau of Public Information … 162 55 (ii) Counter Propaganda Directorate … 50 23 (iii) Film Publicity … Not available 1 (iv) External Publicity … 18 Nil (v) Foreign Publicity … 99 17 Note.—(1) The figures prior to 1st April 1944 in the case of Film Publicity and 1st April 1943 in the case of the rest arc not available. The figures relate to Financial Years. (2) The figure shown against item No. (iv) above represents the consumption by the British Ministry of Information. (3) The figures against items (iii) and (v) are in respect of the consumption of “Information Films of India” and “Publicity Officer (Foreign)” respectively. * Legislative Assembly Debates (Central), Vol. IV of 1944, 7th November 1944, p. 341.

796 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES 227 * Statistics re Unemployed Labour 221. Mr. Govind V. Deshmukh : Will the Honourable Member for Labour please state : (a) if any statistics about unemployment labour in India is available; if so, what the number is, and how it is classified; (b) if no statistics are available, when the Government intend to collect the same and classify it according to industries and under the heads “educated” and “uneducated”; (c) if the Government arc aware that the United Nations arc taking steps to maintain a high level of employment in their countries; and if so, when and what steps this Government intend to take to keep pace with them ? The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : (a) The answer to the first part is in the negative; the latter part does not arise. (b) Government at present collect statistics about employment in certain industries and they propose to take steps to improve and expedite such statistics. It is not however possible at present to collect statistics about unemployment. (c) Government are aware that some of United Nations are making plans to sustain a high level of employment even after the war. The reconstruction plans of the Government of India will also take into consideration the necessity of maintaining as high a level of employment as is available. Dr. Sir Zia Uddin Ahmad : May I ask if the Honourable Member is alert that in the post-war reconstruction he should see that every person in India should get an employment ? The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : I do not follow the question. Dr. Sir Zia Uddin Ahmad : Will the Honourable Member for Labour in the post-war scheme of reconstruction watch the interests of the labour and see that no person is out of employment ? The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : That should be our ideal, I accept. * Legislative Assembly Debates (Central), Vol. IV of 1944, 10th November 1944, p. 546.

797L. A. DEBATES (CENTRAL) QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS Mr. Govind V. Deshmukh : What is the difficulty about the collection of statistics ? I thought I had said set this Department in motion by asking a question about statistics a year ago. May I ask if the work of the collection of statistics has not yet begun ? The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : I have just begun and I think we have made a good beginning. Mr. Govind V. Deshmukh : May I ask what had he been doing for the last one year ? When did he make a beginning ? The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : We had many other things to do besides this. We have made a good beginning. Prof N. G. Ranga : May I ask if early steps be taken to initiate the gathering of statistics about unemployment in different industries ? The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : I have already said that we have initiated the policy of collecting statistics. Mr. Govind V. Deshmukh : May I know if anything has been done in carrying out the promise made to me last time in collecting statistics ? The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : I have already said a beginning has been made. 228 * Employment of Women Underground in Mines 239. Mr. Manu Subedar : (a) Will the Honourable the Labour Member be pleased to state if it is a fact that the employment of women underground is against the Geneva Convention accepted by the Government of India ? (b) Is Government aware that no such employment has taken place in the United Kingdom in spite of the stress of war requirement ? (c) When did Government make this relaxation, and why ? (d) How long do Government expect to keep it open to employ women in coal mines ? (e) How many women are so employed ? * Legislative Assembly Debates (Central), Vol. IV of 1944, 10th November 1944, pp. 559-61.

798 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES (f) What is the wage earned by women underground, and how does it compare with the earnings of women employed in other trades ? (g) What steps have Government taken to safeguard the health and morale of women underground in coal mines ? The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : (a) Yes. (b) Yes. (c) August 1943 in the case of coalfields in Central Provinces and Berar, November 1943 in the case of Bengal and Bihar and December 1943 in the case of Orissa. Owing to severe shortage of male labour in these coalfields. (d) The Government are most anxious to re-impose the ban as soon as the production of coal reaches a figure which makes possible such re-imposition. (e) An accurate figure of the total number of women employed underground cannot be given as this figure varies from day to day. It is however estimated that about 16,000 women are at present employed underground in all coal mines in Bengal, Bihar, Central Provinces and Orissa. (f) Women employed underground are entitled to the same wages as men on similar work. The wages of women employed underground vary from annas 0-12-0 to annas 0-15-0 a day exclusive of the free rice concession. Up-to-date information in respect of wages of women in other trades is not readily available. (g) Women are not allowed to be employed underground in galleries which are less than 5 1/2 feet in height. They are also entitled to the benefits of the Mines Maternity Benefit Act, 1941. For the purpose of enforcing the provisions of this Act and rules made thereunder, three Inspectors have been appointed. In addition, three Welfare Officers have also been appointed and a Lady Welfare Officer for mines is being appointed. Mr. Manu Subedar : Has the Honourable Member seen the report in the United Kingdom about women in coal mines in which it is stated that no woman should work with any clothing above the waist-line ? The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : Yes. Mr. Manu Subedar : In view of this fact that neither in the United Kingdom nor in the United Slates of America, nor in any country in

799L. A. DEBATES (CENTRAL) QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS the British Commonwealth of Nations, are women employed underground in spite of the stress of war, will the Honourable Member say why he has been a party to this humiliating practice ? The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : On account of the shortage of coal. Mr. N. M. Joshi : The Honourable Member stated that a woman is entitled to the same wage as a man and he said that a woman on an average gets twelve annas. I do not agree with your figure. In the coal-fields to the best of my knowledge a man and woman are paid jointly for joint production. How does the Government of India make sure what portion of the joint earning the man gives to the woman ? The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : It is easy to arrive at the figure by distributing the gang wages. Mr. N. M. Joshi: May I again ask the Honourable Member how does he make sure that the woman gets the same wages as the man ? The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar: I said that a woman is entitled to the same wages as a man for the same work. Mr. N. M. Joshi : How docs he make sure that the man gives to the woman half the wage and does not take more for himself and give loss to the woman. The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : I do not know but I feel that the man and woman who work together arc husband and wife and I wonder whether they would be very much interested in exact mathematical distribution of their joint wages. Mr. N. M. Joshi : In view of the fact that the Honourable Member stated that he did not know, may I ask the Government of India to withdraw the statement which they have made that a woman is entitled to equal wage with the man. Is not the Honourable Member proclaiming that the woman is getting equal wage with the man ? Unless he can make sure how the woman can get equal wage with the man, he is not entitled to make a statement which in my judgment, is misleading. The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : That is only a quibble on the part of the Honourable Member. Shrimati K. Radha Bai Subbarayan : May I ask whether the Government according to the assurance given by them during the last Session have reviewed the position and satisfied themselves that it is