Vol. 17, Part III · pages 371–375

342 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES After pointing out that Government spent larger sums on education now-a-day than in the past, Dr. Ambedkar said that one of the reason for this deterioration was that students were more interested in politics than in learning. According to him that had been the bane of their education. He positively differed from the view that a set of politicians held that politics was legitimate pursuit of a student’s activities. Criticising the activities of the All-India Students’ Federation, Dr. Ambedkar said that all those discussions of the Federation of which they found so much hub-bub in the Press, all that it was doing, was nothing but seconding the Congress resolutions in a very stale manner. He had found no originality in their discussions. Giving his suggestions as to what students of the Scheduled Castes should do, Dr. Ambedkar said that, he advised them to form a separate organisation because he wanted them to keep themselves aloof from politics. It was necessary, he said, that they should dissociate themselves from the All-India Federation and bother more about the problems that were germane to the life of a student. He wanted them also to concern themselves with the difficulties which confronted them in their educational career. In this connection he said that he had heard that in private colleges no consideration was shown to the economic or social difficulties of the Scheduled Castes. No special provision was made for their admission and no special provision was made in the matter of scholarship. “All Students” he remarked, “are treated on the same footing, the rich and the poor, the multi-millionaire and the beggar.” If there had been an All-India organisation of the students of the Scheduled Castes communities and it had collected necessary data of their difficulties, they would have been able to compel the Government or the governing elements in the country to make due provision for allowing them to have a look into the matter. Dr. Ambedkar advised the students not only to get a

343STUDENTS SHOULD...............KNOWLEDGE degree but to see that the degree carried with it some positive knowledge or attainment, that they had qualifications which they called ‘sterling’. They must regard education as a serious matter and not a tea-time enjoyment. In asking the students to form an All-India Organisation, Dr. Ambedkar said that, there had not yet been an All-India consciousness among them. They had been uptil now living a provincial life.” 1 zz 1 : People’s Herald dated 10 th January 1945.

98 LAY THE FOUNDATION FOR A REGIME OF PROSPERITY FOR THE POVERTY-STRICKEN MILLIONS OF THE COUNTRY Dr. B. R. Ambedkar delivered a speech on 3 rd January 1945 at a conference held in the Bengal Secretariat, Calcutta. He said, Government of India wished to evolve a policy which would utilize the water resources of the country to the best advantage of everybody and put them to the purposes which they were made to serve in other countries. The Government of India have in mind Tennessee Valley Scheme operating in the United States of America. They are studying the Scheme and feel that something along that line can be done in India if the provinces offer their co-operation and agree to overcome provincial barriers which have held up so much of their progress and their prosperity. As a preliminary step for securing the best use of the water-ways of the country, the Government of India have created a Central Organisation called the ‘Central Technical Power Board’ and are contemplating to create the Central Water Ways Irrigation and Navigation Commission. The two organisations had been established to advise the Provinces as to how their water resources could best be utilised and how a project could be made to serve the purpose other than irrigation. Damodar river is the first project along that line. It would be a multi-purpose project. It will have the object of not only preventing floods in the Damodar but would also have the object of irrigation, navigation and production of eletricity. The authority which would be in-charge of the Damodar Valley Project, after it was complete, would be more or less modelled on the Tennessee Valley Authority. It would be a co-operative undertaking in which the Centre and the Provinces of Bengal and Bihar would be partners. I hope Conference would leave aside all sectional points of view and proceed to its business

345LAY THE.....................COUNTRY with a determination to agree upon the best solution and open a way to the inauguration of a new policy in regard to the water-ways and lay the foundation for a regime of prosperity for the poverty-stricken millions of the country. The Government of India were anxious to give shape, form and life to the project and were also anxious that no time should be lost in doing so. zz

99 NEWSPAPER IN A MODERN DEMOCRATIC SYSTEM IS FUNDAMENTAL BASIS OF GOOD GOVERNMENT Hon. Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, Member, Viceroy’s Executive Council, performed on Wednesday afternoon the 3rd January 1945 the inauguration ceremony of the “People’s Herald”, the weekly organ of the All-India Scheduled Castes’ Federation at 1-2 Sitaram Ghosh Steet, Calcutta, which is the office of the Federation. Hon. Mr. J. N. Mondal and Mr. R. L. Biswas on behalf of the provincial Federation welcomed Dr. Ambedkar. The Hon’ble Mr. J. N. Mondal, President, Bengal Provincial Scheduled Castes Federation in welcoming Dr. Ambedkar said that his entire life was dedicated not only for the Scheduled Castes but also for other downtrodden masses of India. He was sure that the emancipation of the Scheduled Castes and of the downtrodden masses would come through the activities, leadership and guidance of Dr. Ambedkar. Earlier, Mr. Rashik Lal Biswas in course of his speech said that the reason for the appearance of this weekly “People’s Hearld” at this juncture was obvious. In the new India which was to emerge shortly as the result of this war, the Hindu community would form the main ingredient, and of this Hindu element, the Scheduled Castes formed no inconsiderable part. These castes he added, had some peculiarities, traditions, rights and customs which marked them out from the other sections of the Hindus. The Scheduled Castes held a right to demand that these peculiarities be respected and that they should get their due position in the matter of education, appointments and all the benefits which any State could provide to its citizens. “This paper, therefore, comes into being as the All India organ of the Scheduled Castes which will voice their sentiments and legitimate aspirations, their grievances, and their demands, and also their views on the present day problems which India is facing and the composition of the future Indian State”, he added.