Vol. 2 · pages 306–310

287QUESTIONS BY DR. AMBEDKAR The Honourable Mr. G. B. Pradhan : (a), ( b), ( c), ( d) and (e) Yes, as it had already been granted to another individual. (2) Survey No. 202 of Rajur is pasture forest incharge of the Revenue Department. It is sold annually for grazing to the villagers, and it cannot be granted for any other purpose, as the remaining grazing area available in the village is not sufficient for their requirements. (3) For the same reason Survey No. 71 of Rajur-Babula which is assigned for Kuran (grazing ground) could not be granted to the Mahars. I may add that 11 survey numbers of Pimplad and Rajur-Babula comprising of nearly 200 acres of land were the only lands available for being given out for cultivation. They were therefore put to sale at an upset price 12 times the assessment and it was ordered that none but the Mahars, Bhils and Kolis should bid. The condition was imposed specially to exclude unfair competition by moneyed people. The papers of the sales recently sanctioned show that two Kolis and three Mahars of Pimplad and one Koli and three Mahars of Rajur-Babula are the purchasers. (B.L.C. Debates, Vol. XXI, p. 219, dated 1st October 1927) Grazing Grounds, Thana District Dr. P. G. Solanki on behalf of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : Will Government be pleased to state— (a) whether their attention has been drawn to the information published on pages 372 and 417 of the Vividha Jnana Vistar of the year 1926 ; (b) if so, whether they intend to take steps to order such varkas or grass lands to be free from assessment ; (c) whether they intend to let open the forest lands of the village of Badlapur in the Thana District for agricultural and grazing purposes as the income from those forest lands is comparatively very small ? The Honourable Mr. J. L. Rieu : (a) Only when the Honourable Member gave notice of this question. (b) No. (c) No. (B.L.C. Debates, Vol. XXI, pp. 269-70, dated 1st October 1927) Forest Lands for Depressed Classes Dr. P. G. Solanki on behalf of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : Will Government be pleased to state— (a) whether they are aware of the enormous extent of unemployment prevailing among the depressed classes ; (b) whether in view of the fact that many occupations are closed to the depressed classes owing to the system of untouchability, they intend to consider the question of forming settlements of the depressed classes wherever tracts of forests lands are available as has been done by the Mysore Government ;

288 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES (c) whether they intend to give preferential treatment to applicants from the depressed classes for forest lands ? The Honourable Mr. G. B. Pradhan : ( a) No. (b) Such settlements have already been formed in the three Khandesh Divisions, and the feasibility of forming further settlements will be considered if applications are made and suitable lands in forests are available. (c) Application from depressed classes for forest lands will be favourably considered, but no promise of preferential treatment can be held out. (B.L.C. Debates, Vol. XXI, pp. 269-70, dated 1st October 1927) Deccan Agriculturists’ Relief Act : Repeal Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : Will Government be pleased to state— (a) whether it is a fact that they are contemplating the introduction of a bill to repeal the Deccan Agriculturists’ Relief Act ; (b) if so, whether they have ascertained the views of the agricultural population whose interests are bound to be affected by such a step ; (c) whether they are aware that the Royal Commission on Agriculture has expressed the opinion that the operation of the Usurious Loans Act, 1918. has not been successful ? The Honourable Mr. J. R. Martin : (a) and (b) The question of amending or repealing the Deccan Agriculturists’ Relief Act has been postponed till the question of legislation in connection with agricultural indebtedness recommended by the Royal Agricultural Commission can be taken up as a whole. (c) Yes. (B.L.C. Debates, Vol. XXIV, p. 287, dated 29th September 1928) Government Servants : Salaries and Pensions Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : Will Government be pleased to state the total amount they paid out in 1927-28 (or any other year previous to it for which figures are available)— (i) as salaries to their permanent servant in the subordinate and clerical services ; (ii) as pensions to servants who were in their subordinate and clerical services ? The Honourable Mr. G. B. Pradhan : (i) Figures of the cost of permanent and temporary establishments are not separately available. The total amount expended by the Provincial Government during 1925-26 on the salaries of their subordinate establishments was Rs. 296 lakhs excluding the cost (amounting to about Rs. 25 lakhs) of the menial establishments. (ii) Government regret that they are unable to furnish the information asked for as separate figures for different classes of establishments are not readily available. (B.L.C. Debates, Vol. XXIV. p. 287. dated 29th September 1928)

289QUESTIONS BY DR. AMBEDKAR Government Servants : Starting Pay of Graduates Dr. P. G. Solanki on behalf of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : Will Government be pleased to state— (a) whether it is a fact that Mr. S. K. Bole had put a question in the Council asking for information about the starting pay of Graduates in the City of Bombay ; (b) whether it is a fact that Government replied that Graduates were started on Rs. 90 except those serving in the Lower Grade in those offices, where the establishments are divided into “Upper and Lower Grades,” and that Government issued Government Resolution, Finance Department, No. 1140, dated 25th March 1925 directing the Heads of Departments accordingly ; (c) whether it is a fact that inspite of the abovementioned Government Resolution directing the Heads of Departments to start Graduates on Rs. 90 in the City of Bombay, the Collector of Bombay starts Graduates on Rs. 60 only in the departments under him, even though there are no Upper and Lower Grades in those departments ; (d) whether Government are aware that Graduates start on Rs. 70 in the mofussil ? The Honourable Mr. G. B. Pradhan : (a) Yes. (b) Government replied that all Heads of Offices in Bombay were authorised to pay an initial salary of Rs. 90 to all graduates except those in the Lower Division in those offices in which the establishment is divided into Upper and Lower Divisions. Orders to the above effect were issued in Government Resolution, Finance Department, No. 1140, dated 25th March 1925. (c) Under the orders referred to by the Honourable Member Government have authorised their Heads of Offices to start graduates, except those in the Lower Division in those offices in which the establishment is divided into Upper and Lower Divisions, on an initial pay of Rs. 90 per mensem in the revised time scale. According to the above orders the Collector of Bombay gives an initial pay of Rs. 90 per mensem to a graduate where he thinks that a graduate clerk is absolutely necessary whereas in other cases graduates are given rates of pay ranging from Rs. 60 to Rs. 90 according to the importance of the work assigned to them. (d) Yes. (B.L.C. Debates, Vol. XXV, p. 685, dated 28th February 1929) Land Acquisition : Mulshi Dam Dr. P. G. Solanki on behalf of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : Will Government be pleased to state— (a) whether the lands of the Mahars of Mohari and Wadgaon, taluka Haveli, district Poona, were acquired by Government on account of the Mulshi dam ; (b) the rates at which the lands were acquired ;

290 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES (c) whether the price of the lands was paid to the Mahars of these villages ? The Honourable Mr. J. L. Rieu : (a) Yes. (b) Rs. 50 per acre for Jirait land and Rs. 550 per acre for Gadi (rice) lands. (c) The lands being service inam, the sums awarded were credited to Government and an annual cash allowance calculated at 5 per cent. of the total amount of the compensation was sanctioned for the watandar Mahars. (B.L.C. Debates, Vol. XXV, p. 767, dated 1st March 1927) Grants-in-aid to Local Boards Dr. P. G. Solanki on behalf of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : Will Government be pleased to state— (a) whether it is a fact that the question of grants to Local Boards has been kept pending for nearly 3 years by the Director of Public Instruction ; (b) if so, who is responsible for the delay ; (c) what steps, if any, Government propose to take in the matter ? The Honourable Moulvi Rafiuddin Ahmed : (a) If the honourable member refers to grants by Government on account of primary education the provisional grants made yearly to district local boards or local authorities are often in excess of the actual amount shown to be due after audit. The final adjustment of these yearly grants are made later when audit objections have been met. (b) Does not arise. (c) No alteration of the existing procedure is contemplated. (B.L.C. Debates, Vol. XXV, p. 1092, dated 7th March 1929) Bombay Municipal Corporation—Morland Road Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : Will Government be pleased to state— (a) whether it is a fact that the Bombay Municipal Corporation has not completely re-constructed Morland Road even once during the last 15 years, and, if so, the reasons therefor ; (b) whether Government intend to take any steps in the matter ; (c) whether it is a fact that the matter was represented to the Police Authorities and to the Municipal Corporation through representations and in the Press ? The Honourable Dewan Bahadur Harilal D. Desai : (a) It is not a fact that the road has not been repaired during the last 15 years. During the period 1914 to 1921 the whole road was repaired regularly and in 1920-21 the entire length was repaired and the surface dressed with a paint coat of tar at a cost of Rs. 11,640-15-3. Since 1922 substantial repairs have not been carried out, but extensive patching of the road surface has been frequently done. The Corporation has given its consent to the re-construction of the road with sheet asphalt on cement concrete foundations and the work will be taken in hand in due course. (b) No.

291QUESTIONS BY DR. AMBEDKAR (c) Complaints have been made to the Corporation. (B.L.C. Debates, Vol. XXV, p. 1092, dated 7th March 1929) Secondary Schools : Grants-in-aid Dr. P. G. Solanki for Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : Will Government be pleased to state— (a) the reasons why the question of reorganising the basis of assessing annual grants to Secondary Schools was not considered last year ; (b) whether there are any schools in the Presidency that have deserved special consideration from Government in point of receiving regular grants-in-aid ; (c) whether in assessing grants to Secondary Schools the Director of Public Instruction is invariably guided by the inspection reports of the Educational Inspectors ? If not, what is generally his standard of distributing annual grants to Secondary Schools ; (d) whether the Educational Department observe, in order to maintain the departmental standard of efficiency, some basis on which the aided Schools are’ expected to spend per capita annually, and the Government on the other hand are expected to share the corresponding cost ? If so, what is the minimum ratio between the cost to the Government and the institution according to the basis ; (e) the minimum number of years after which a Secondary School is given registration by the Education Department ; (f) the number of Secondary Schools of over 5 years’ standing that have not yet been permanently registered for grant-in-aid ? The Honourable Moulvi Rafiuddin Ahmed : (a) Government were generally satisfied that the basis on which grants to Secondary Schools are assessed is sound. (b) Yes. (c) Grants are assessed according to the principles laid down in the Grantin-aid Code. In framing his estimate of the extent to which a particular school satisfies the requirements of the Grant-in-aid Code, the Director of Public Instruction is invariably guided by the reports of the Inspecting staff. The question in the latter portion does not therefore arise. (d) No definite standard of expenditure per capita is observed in assessing expenditure for grant. The system laid down in the Grant-in-aid Code provides for grants at the rate of one-third of the admitted expenditure being given to all schools which satisfy the requirements, subject to the funds allotted for the purpose permitting. (e) No minimum number of years is prescribed. Owing to lack of funds the registration of additional schools has been suspended. (f) About 110 schools. (B.L.C. Debates, Vol. XXVIII, pp. 585-86, dated 27th February 1980) zz