934 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES
of the peasants can be dealt with under this entry. Therefore, so far as entries are concerned there is nothing that is wanting to enable the Provincial Governments to act in the matter of welfare of agricultural classes.
Then I come to the question raised by my Friend Mr. Sidhva which, I think, is a very legitimate question. Hill question was what was the connotation of the word “labour” and he asked me a very definite question whether ‘labour’ meant both industrial as well as agricultural labour. I think that was his question. My answer is emphatically that it includes both kinds of labour. The entry is not intended to limit itself to industrial labour. Any kind of welfare work relating to labour, whether the labour is industrial labour or agricultural labour, will be open to be undertaken either by the Centre or by the Province under entry 26.
Similarly, conditions of work, provident funds, employers’ liability workmen’s compensation, health insurance, including invalidity pensions—all these matters—would be open to all sorts of labour, whether it is industrial labour or agricultural labour. Therefore, so far as this entry, No. 26, is concerned, it is in no sense limited to industrial labour and therefore the kind of amendment which has been proposed by my Friend Dr. Deshmukh is absolutely unnecessary, besides; its being—what I might call—vague and indefinite, to which no legal connotation can be given.
Dr. P. S. Deshmukh : Is there no class of persons except agricultural labour in this country? Has Dr. Ambedkar ever heard of a class called “farmers” and “peasants” ?
The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar: Their welfare will be attended to under entries 21 and 24 of the Provincial List, as I have already explained.
[Dr. P. S. Deshmukh’s amendment was negatived. Dr. Ambedkar’s amendment was adopted. Entry 27, as amended was added to the Concurrent List.]
ENTRY 27
*The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar: Sir, I move :
“That for entry 27 of List III, the following entry be substituted :—
‘27. Employment and unemployment’ ”.
The amendment was adopted.
Entry 27, as amended, was added to the Concurrent List.
*CAD, Vol. IX, 3rd September 1949, p. 946.