1022 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES
The mineral monazite (one of the Thorium bearing minerals) does occur along the southern coast line of India notably on the Travancore coast.
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*** Import of Typewriters**
- Mr. Manu Subedar : (a) Will the Honourable the Labour Member please slate how many typewriting machines have been imported in India since the 1st of April, 1940 ?
(b) How many of these have been released for the Civil population and in which Provinces, and by what test ?
(c) Is it a fact that there is a great shortage in India of these machines and that business firms are put to very great incovenicnce ?
(d) What steps have Government taken in order to increase the availability of these machines ?
(e) Did this constitute one of the articles, about which the Hydari Mission negotiated ?
(f) What is the general position about the availability of typewriting machines, and what is the forecast of Government during the next twelve months ?
The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : (a) About 76,000 up to December 1945.
(b) From April 1940 to October 1943—information not available.
From October 1943 to the end of 1945—about 2950.
The test by which releases were made was one of essentiality. These releases were made to commercial and industrial concerns, public utilities, educational institutions, professional people and businessmen and preference was given to war industries or agencies engaged in work connected with the war effort.
(c) Yes, there has been a great shortage of typewriters in India.
(d) Since the end of the war, typewriters for public use are being imported through commercial chanels as in prewar days. Government have impressed upon the various importing firms the desirability of importing typewriters in as large a number as possible. The firms have been invited to come up for Government assistance, if necessary, after
- Legislative Assembly Debates (Central), Vol. IV of 1946, 29th March 1946, p. 2988.