1008 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES
The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : (a) Reports on the Family Budget Enquiries are expected to be completed and published by the end of September 1946.
(b) A statement containing the information required is placed on the Table of the House.
As cost of living index numbers constituted an essential basis for adjustment of dearness allowance, which was urgently required during the war period and as no reliable data in this respect were available, a beginning had to be made without waiting for conditions to return to normal.
(c) The answer is in the negative.
(d) An Expert’s Committee was appointed to discuss methods of preparing cost of living indices. It met once and laid down general principles regarding the methods of investigation, which were generally followed.
Statement showing the dates of starting and closing the Family Budget Enquiries at the various selected centres
Date of starting the Date on which the Name of Centre collection of budgets work was finished I. Ajmer (1) …… 15-11-43 15-11-44 II. Bengal (4)—
Howrah & Bally 28-7-43 28-7-44
Kharagpur 28-7-43 28-7-44
Narayanganj 28-7-43 28-7-44
Calcutta 1-8-44 317-45 III. Bihar (4)—
Monghyr & Jamalpur 9-5-44 31-10-44
Dehri-on-Sone 1-11-44 31-1-45
Jamshedpur 1-2-45 30-6-45
Jharia 1-7-45 25-11-45 IV. Bombay (4)—
Bombay 22-1-44 28-2-45
Ahmedabad 22-1-44 28-2-45
Sholapur 22-1-44 28-2-45
Jalgaon 22-1-44 28-2-45 V. C. P. & Berar (2)—
Jubbulpore 10-4-44 15-4-45
Akola 2nd week of July 1944 15-4-45 VI. Delhi (1) 13-10-43 31-10-44 VII. Punjab (3)—
Lahore 1-1-44 30-4-45
Ludhiana 1-1-44 30-4-45
Sialkot 1-1-44 30-4-45