1010 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES
items, their qualities and numbers, on which these unweighted group index numbers are based ?
The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : (a) The Government of India decided in 1942 to undertake a scheme for the compilation of cost of living index numbers on uniform lines. As the preparation of such index numbers was likely to take some time, it was felt that retail price data should be available as this might be of some value in wage disputes. Government, therefore, decided as an interim measure, after consultation with Provincial Governments to collect price data for certain selected centres in the country and to prepare index numbers based on such data.
(b) The items constituting the groups are not published. There is no particular reason except the desirability of limiting space in the Gazette.
(c) A statement regarding the number of items included in each group in the Retail Index Number for each centre is placed on the table of the House. The main criteria adopted for deciding upon the list were the consumption habits of the class of the community concerned and the availability of comparable price data.
Statement showing the number of items included in the various groups for each centre for which retail price index numbers are being published in the Indian Labour Gazette.
I—URBAN CENTRES
Other Fuel Cere- Arti- All & Cloth- MiscelPulses Total als cles of food Light- ing laneous food ing
1 Ajmer … 7 5 15 27 3 9 2 11
Hubli … 2 4 13 19 3 5 6 33
Surat … 3 3 11 17 3 7 6 33
Dohad … 3 3 12 18 3 6 4 31
Akola … 3 3 14 20 4 8 6 38
Delhi … 9 3 16 28 5 5 6 44
Rawalpindi … 4 3 16 23 3 5 5 36
Amritsar … 4 3 15 23 3 6 4 36
Ludhiana … 4 3 17 24 3 6 4 37
Sialkot … 4 3 15 22 3 5 4 34
Lucknow … 9 3 10 22 3 9 7 41
Agra … 9 3 10 22 3 9 7 41
Bareilly … 9 3 10 22 3 9 7 41
Gauhati … 3 4 19 26 3 6 7 42
Tinsukia …
Dehri-on-Sone … 5 3 11 19 4 3 6 32