Vol. 17, Part II · pages 486–490

461ALL INDIA SCHEDULED CASTES FEDERATION Committee the Chairman shall nominate one member to act as Secretary and another member to act as Treasurer. 9. The District Federation Committee shall elect a Chairman from among its own members. The Chairman shall nominate—members of the Committee to constitute an Executive Committee for the District. Out of the members of the Committee he shall nominate one to act as Secretary and another to act as Treasurer. Where there is no District Federation the affairs of the District shall be managed by the State Executive Committee. 10. The State Federation Committee shall elect a Chairman from among its own members. The Chairman shall nominate—members of the Committee to constitute a State Working Committee. Out of the members of the Committee he shall nominate one to act as Secretary and another to act as Treasurer. PART IV Organisation : Central ARTICLE VII 1. The Central Organisation of the Federation shall include the following : (i) The President of the Federation; (ii) The General Secretary of the Federation; (iii) The Treasurer; (iv) The All-India Committee of the Federation; (v) The Central Executive Committee of the Federation; (vi) The All-India Committee of the Federation; and (vii) The Session or Special Session of the Federation. ARTICLE VIII 1. The All India Committee of the Federation shall consist of—persons chosen by members of the State Federation Committees out of their members in accordance with the population of Scheduled Castes in each State to the total population of Scheduled Castes in India as determined by the Central Executive Committee.

462 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES 2. There shall be a Session of the All-India Scheduled Castes Federation every two years. The President of the Session shall be chosen by the members of the State Federation Committees. 3. The President either suo moto or on the requisition by one-third of the States Federation of Committees will call for a special Session of the All-India Scheduled Castes Federation. 4. President shall preside over the Session of the Federation. 5. The President shall choose one person from each State Federation Committee to form a Central Executive Committee. 6. The President shall nominate one person out of members of the All-India Committee of the Federation, to act as General Secretary of the Federation. 7. The President shall nominate another person out of the members of the All-India Committee of the Federation to act as a Treasurer. ARTICLE IX 1. The President of the Federation and members of the State Committees of the Federation shall constitute the AllIndia Committee of the Federation. 2. The President of the Federation shall be the President of the All-India Committee of the Federation. 3. The All-India Committee of the Federation shall arrange for the implementation of the programme of work laid down by the Session of the Federation and shall have powers to deal with matters and situations that may arise during its term of office. 4. The All-India Committee of the Federation shall have power to frame rules, not inconsistent with this constitution, for regulating all matter connected with the Federation which shall be binding on all subordinate Federation Committees. 5. The All-India Committee of the Federation shall meet as often as required by the Central Executive Committee, or on a joint requisition addressed to the Central Executive Committee by not less than 50 members. Such requisition shall specify the purpose for which the requisitionists desire a meeting of the All-India

463ALL INDIA SCHEDULED CASTES FEDERATION Committee of the Federation. A requisitioned meeting shall be held within two months of the receipt of the requisition. At any requisitioned meeting, additional items of business may be brought up by the Central Executive Committee for consideration. 6. At all meetings of the All-India Committee of the Federation other than requisitioned meetings, as far as possible, four hours shall be alloted for consideration of propositions of which due notice has been given by the members of the All-India Federation Committee in accordance with the rules prescribed in that behalf. 7. The presence of twenty-five members shall be enough to form the quorum for a meeting of the All-India Committee of the Federation. ARTICLE X 1. A General Session of the Federation shall ordinarily be held biannually at the time and place decided upon by the AllIndia Committee of the Federation or the Central Executive Committee. 2. The General Session of the Federation shall consist of : (i) The President of the Federation; (ii) The Ex-President of the Federation; (iii) Members of the All-India Committee of the Federation; (iv) Members of the Central Executive Committee; and (v) Members of the Working Committee of the Village Federation, Taluka Federation, District Federation and State Federation. 3. (i) The Session shall consider resolutions recommended for adoption by the Subjects Committee in the first instance. (ii) Thereafter, the Session shall take up any substantive motion not included in (i), but which forty delegates have, before the commencement of the day’s sitting requested the President in writing to allow them to place before the Session provided, however that no such motion shall be allowed unless it has been previously discussed at a meeting of the Subjects Committee, and has received the support of at least a third of the members then present in the Subject Committee.

464 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES 4. The State Federation Committee in whose jurisdiction the Session of the Federation is held, shall make such arrangements for holding the Session as may be deemed necessary and for this purpose shall form a Reception Committee which shall work under its general guidance and which may include therein persons who are not its members. 5. The Reception Committee shall elect its Chairman and other office-bearers from amongst its own members. 6. The Reception Committee shall collect funds for the expenses of the Session and shall make all necessary arrangements for the reception and accommodation of delegates. It may also make necessary arrangements for the visitors. 7. The receipts and disbursements of the Reception Committee shall be audited by an auditor or auditors, appointed by the State Federation Committee concerned, and the Statement of Accounts, together with the audit report, shall be submitted by the State Federation Committee to the Central Executive Committee not later than six months after the termination of the Session. Any surplus funds shall be divided equally between the All-India Committee of the Federation and the State Federation Committee. ARTICLE XI 1. The All-India Committee of the Federation shall meet as the Subjects Committee under the Chairmanship of the President atleast two days before the Session. The Central Executive Committee or in case a new President has been elected before the Session and there is no Central Executive Committee appointed by him functioning, a Steering Committee to be nominated by him shall submit to the Subjects Committee the programme of work including draft resolutions, for the Session of the Federation. In preparing the draft resolutions it shall take into consideration there solutions recommended by the State Federation Committees and resolutions given notice of by members of the All-India Federation Committee. 2. The Subjects Committee shall proceed to discuss the programme and shall frame resolutions for being moved in the open session. As far as possible, four hours shall be alloted for the

465ALL INDIA SCHEDULED CASTES FEDERATION consideration of propositions of which due notice has been given by the State Federation Committees or members of the All-India Committee of the Federation. ARTICLE XII 1. A Special Session of the Federation shall be held in case the All-India Committee of the Federation so decides or a majority of the State Federation Committees by their resolutions, request the President of the Federation to convene such a special Session. 2. Such a Special Session shall be organised by the State Federation Committee of the State selected for the Session. ARTICLE XIII 1. The Central Executive Committee shall appoint one of the members of the All-India Committee of the Federation to work as Returning Officer for the election of the President. Provided that a General Secretary who is a candidate for Presidentship shall be disqualified for such an appointment. 2. Any member of the Federation may propose the name of any member for election as President of the Federation. The proposal must be seconded by three other members. Such proposal must reach the Returning Officer on or before the date fixed by the Central Executive Committee. 3. The Returning Officer shall publish the names of all persons so proposed and it shall be open to any person whose name has been so proposed to withdraw his candidature within seven days of the publication of the proposed names by writing to the Returning Officer to that effect. 4. After eliminating the names of those who have withdrawn, the Returning Officer shall immediately publish the names of remaining candidates and circulate them to the State Federation Committees. If after elimination there remains only one candidate, he shall be declared as duly elected as President of the next Session of the Federation. 5. On a date fixed by the Central Executive Committee, which shall not ordinarily be less than seven days after the final