Vol. 10 · pages 866–870

845 L. A. DEBATES (CENTRAL) QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS Mr. T. S. Avinashilingam Chettiar : In view of the fact that the Public Accounts Committee for 1942-43 specifically said that no vouchers and no accounts are kept for this money given to Mr. Roy, may I know if the money was given to Mr. Roy in his personal name and whether audits were made and what conclusion the auditors came to as to whether the amounts were credited to the organisation ? The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : I cannot say to whom the money was paid before the new arrangement was made. After the new arrangement was made the money is paid to the person who is known as Secretary. Mr. Badri Dutt Pande : In view of the fact that the subsidy to the Labour Federation is not approved by this House, is it the intention of Government to discontinue it ? The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : I do not wish to anticipate the decision. Mr. T. S. Avinashilingam Chettiar : Has provision been made for it in the next Budget ? The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : If my Honourable friend will wait he will know. Mr. Sri Prakasa : Have Government made sure that the money is well spent ? The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : Yes sir. I have no doubt about it. Mr. T. S. Avinashilingam Chettiar : Sir, may I point out to the Chair that this is an impertinent answer ? The Budget is coming up soon and he must know whether provision for this amount has been made. May I know whether this sum has been provided for ? The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : My Honourable friend will know it on the 28th February. 269 * Labour Exchange Bureaus 405. Mr. T. S. Avinashilingam Chettiar : (a) Will the Honourable the Labour Member please state in how many places labour exchange bureaus have been established ? * Legislative Assembly Debates (Central), Vol. I of 1945, 21st February 1945, pp. 584.

846 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES (b) For what class of persons are these bureaus intended to serve ? (c) Till now, for how many persons have they found employment ? The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : (a) Employment Exchanges have been established at ten centres in India, viz., Bombay, Ahmedabad, Nagpur, Madras, Calcutta, Dhanbad, Cawnpore, Delhi, Lahore and Karachi. (b) for the present, the Employment Exchanges are intended to serve technical personnel as defined under the National Service (Technical,) Personnel Ordinance, 1940 who are in receipt of wages of not less than Rs. 1-8-0 per day in the cities of Bombay and Calcutta and Re. 1 per day in other places. (c) Upto 31st December, 1944 the Exchanges had found employment for 5,909 workmen. I may add that it was only in December, 1943 that it was decided to set up these exchanges and considerable difficulty was experienced in securing competent staff and suitable accommodation. Mr. T. S. Avinashilingam Chettiar : May I know whether Government propose to extend the work of these Labour Exchanges to other categories of labour ? The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : Yes, Sir. Mr. T. S. Avinashilingam Chettiar : What are these other categories of labour which extension is proposed ? The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : We have come to no decision as yet. Mr. Abdul Qaiyum : May I know for what percentage of the total applicants jobs were found ? The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : The total number of workmen that were registered as wanting jobs was 14,697 out of whom employment was found for 5,909 men. Shrimati Radha Bai Subbarayan : Do these figures include women also? The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : My figures do not make any distinction between male and female.

847 L. A. DEBATES (CENTRAL) QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 270 * Arrangements for Care of Children of Women Miners 436. Shrimati K. Radha Bai Subbarayan : Will the Honourable the Labour Member please state : (a) what the specific arrangements are for the care of infants and children of women miners working inside mines and on the surface in all mining areas, and under whose supervision these arrangements are carried out; (b) the facilities provided for nursing mothers working inside mines to feed their infants at regular intervals ; and (c) whether the arrangements referred to in (a) and (b) have been approved by any medical authority ; and, if so, by whom ? The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : (a) No specific arrangements have so far been made, but at a few mines creches with female attendants have been provided and in some collieries child clinics exist where milk is distributed to miners’ children. The question of requiring provision of creches is at present under the consideration of Government. (b) Children are not allowed underground and therefore no special facilities are required underground. Mothers are not allowed underground within one month of delivery. Information as to facilities allowed to other mothers to come up to feed their children is being called for. (c) No. Shrimati K. Radha Bai Subbarayan : May I ask, Sir, if the Government will prohibit women from working underground in mines where these arrangements have not been made until Government consider this question ? The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : I have not followed the question. Shrimati K. Radha Bai Subbarayan : Will Government take definite steps to have proper arrangements for the care of children and for enabling women to come up to the surface to feed their children ? Surely infants require to be fed even after they are a month old ? * Legislative Assembly Debates (Central), Vol. I of 1945, 21st February 1945, p. 609.

848 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : I cannot arrive at a decision until I know what is the magnitude of the problem. I have called for information. Shrimati K. Radha Bai Subbarayan : As the Honourable Member himself admits that the problem is a very serious one, will Government prohibit women from working underground till they have finished considering the problem ? The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : I do not know whether there are any number of women who are suckling babies underground. Mr. Manu Subedar : Will the Honourable Member discontinue the work of women underground in those mines where the creches and other facilities mentioned by him do not exist. The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : I am taking steps to see that every mine has got creches. Mr. Manu Subedar : Will the Honourable Member discontinue the work of women until that time ? The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : If that was the only alternative, that proposition might be considered. Prof. N. G. Ranga : Will Government consult the All-India Medical Council in regard to part (c) of this question in regard to the advisability or otherwise of allowing mothers with suckling babies to work underground ? The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : I do not know whether they will accept the responsibility of advising Government in this matter. Prof. N. G. Ranga : I am asking whether Government will be willing to ask them, whether they are prepared to give advise or not. The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : I do not think this is a problem where consultation is necessary. Shrimati K. Radha Bai Subbarayan : May I ask if the International Labour Conference during its last session made certain suggestions with regard to this matter ? The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : I have no information at all at present with me. Mrs. Renuka Ray : Is it a fact that these creches in most mines only function effectively when visitors are conducted round and when Government Inspectors go round there on their pre-arranged visits and

849 L. A. DEBATES (CENTRAL) QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS that miners’ children who live in neighbouring areas are sometimes not permitted into the creches and there are no adequate facilities in most of the mines for the care of infants or children, even where creches exist in name with very few exceptions ? The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : I do not know how the Honourable Member knows that there are no creches when she does not go and visit. Mr. N. M. Joshi : The Honourable Member had gone to the mining areas. The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : I have also gone. 271 * Steps for Enforcing Mines Maternity Benefits Act in Mining Areas 437. Shrimati K. Radha Bai Subbarayan : Will the Honourable the Labour Member please state : (a) what steps Government have taken to enforce the provisions of the Mines Maternity Benefits Act in mining areas since women miners are illiterate and ignorant of their rights ; (b) whether Government have any report about the application of this Act since it was passed in 1941 ; (c) whether four week’s absence before and after delivery of a child has not proved insufficient to give adequate relief to the women miners and avoid injury to their health; and (d) whether Government have obtained medical opinion on the subject referred to in (c); and, if so, whether Government will place a copy of it on the table of the House ; and, if not whether Government propose to take steps to secure such opinion ? The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : (a) One Senior Labour Inspector and two Junior Labour Inspectors who are qualified doctors have been appointed, under the Chief Inspector of Mines in India. (b) Although Government themselves have not received reports about the working of the Act, the Inspectors under the Chief Inspector * Legislative Assembly Debates (Central), Vol. I of 1945, 21st February 1945, pp. 610-11.