57
Indian Mines (Amendment) Bill
*** The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar** (Labour Member): Sir, I move.
“That the Bill further to amend the Indian Mines Act, 1923. be taken into consideration.”
This Bill is a very simple measure.
[(At this stage, Mr. President vacated the Chair which was then occupied by Mr. Deputy President (Sir Mohammad Yamin Khan).]
The purport of the Bill is to impose an obligation upon the mine owners to provide pit-head baths “equipped with shower baths and locker rooms for the use of men employed in mines and of similar and separate places and rooms for the use of women in mines where women are employed and for prescribing cither generally or with particular reference to, the numbers of men and women ordinarily employed in a mine, the number and standards of such places and rooms.” I do not think there can be any dispute as regards the necessity of providing pit-head baths. It is bound to improve the self-respect of the miner and I am sure about it that it is very desirable that he should return home a clean person, if possible with clean clothes. This measure has been considered by the Coal Mines Advisory Committee which has been appointed by Government in order to administer the Coal Mines Welfare Fund. The Committee has unanimously accepted the proposal that pit-head baths should be an obligation of the colliery owners. In order to give effect to it, the Bill provides that under the rule-making power which is given to the Government of India under section 30 of the Mines Act, the Government shall have the power to make a rule prescribing pit-head bath. That is the main purpose of the Bill.
The second clause of the Bill does nothing more than exempt Government from following the usual procedure in the matter of making rules under the Coal Mines Act which are prescribed by Section
- Section 31 says that any rules made under the Act shall be first
- Legislative Assembly Debates (Central), Vol. I-No. 13, 8lh February 1946, p. 716.