670 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES
to have a fund which is to be called a Consolidated Fund ? Or is it an enabling amendment ?
The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : It is already there. It is only a change of name.
The Honourable Rev. J. J. M. Nichols-Roy : Then there must be an Appropriation Act passed in a Legislature and that must be passed in the same session ?
The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : Yes.
The Honourable Rev. J. J. M. Nichols-Roy : That will take time no doubt. Sir, in view of this I would make a few remarks. There has been a good deal of criticism regarding the expenditure of money and waste of money by the Ministers of the Government of India or it might be by the Governments of the Provinces. I suppose the principles in this article
90 will apply to the provincial Governments also—the same principles are in article 174.
The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : Yes.
*The Honourable Rev. J. J. M. Nichols-Roy : ...I want to ask Dr. Ambedkar whether that is the position or whether every province will be forced to pass an Appropriation Act in order to appropriate money for expenditure.
The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : The Appropriation Act will be compulsory, but the Vote on Account is optional for each Ministry. If any Ministry wants money on Vote on Account, it may ask the Legislature.
The Honourable Rev. J. J. M. Nichols-Roy : Suppose the Ministry in Assam or in any Province wants to follow the same procedure that we are having now, with the certificate of the Governor, will it be open to it to do so ?
The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : There is no certificate at all of the Governor now.
† The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : I do not think I can add anything usefully to what Mr. T. T. Krishnamachari has said. I should reserve my observations for the various amendments which will come up as I have no doubt the same arguments will be put forth.
[Amendments by Dr. Ambedkar mentioned earlier were adopted, others were rejected. Article 90, as amended, was added to the Constitution.]
*CAD, Vol. VIII, 8th June 1948, p. 738.
† Ibid., p. 741.