PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 261
The motion was adopted.
Clause 2 was added to the Bill.
Clause 3 (Amendment of section 46 and section 49, Act XVI of 1948 )
Shri Kamath : I beg to move :
“In clause 3, in the proposed amendment to sub-clause (3) of section 46 and sub-section (1) of section 49 of the Dentists Act,
1948, for ‘three years’, substitute ‘two years and six months’.”
The present clause has been inserted so as to enable State Governments to complete their registers of dentists under section 46 and 49 of the Act. This is a retroactive piece of legislation inasmuch as the words used in the clause are “and shall be deemed always to have been substituted.” I for one cannot see why for registering a few hundred, dentists, such a long period is necessary. I therefore ask again the Minister to tell the House how many dentists were still to be registered on the 29th March 1950 and in what stage the process is. That would be useful for us to know how much time is necessary for the complete registration and why this extension of time by one year is necessary. If those figures are forthcoming, we will be able to judge what time would be needed to complete the work of registration. In the absence of that it would be very difficult to arrive at an idea of the time required for the registration.
Dr. Ambedkar : This is a matter of opinion. My friend Mr. Kamath with his abundant energy and administrative experience no doubt thinks that six months would be more than enough for completing the register. But, as I just now told the House, even a Government as efficient as the Government of Bombay asked for two years. I personally myself think that in view of the fact that the obligation of preparing the register rests upon the Provincial Governments, it is desirable that this House should follow what the Provincial Governments think is feasible in this matter. As a matter of fact we have curtailed the period to one year instead of the two years asked for by the Bombay Government. We have stuck to one year, which was the original proposal by the Government of Madras. I do not think it is possible