712 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES
English law, namely that if the law has declared that the office is an office of profit, then, irrespective of the question whether the Member draws the salary attached to that office, he should be disqualified. That is the rule under the English Constitution ; certain offices have been declared by law to be offices of profit. There may be a certain Member of Parliament who may accept that particular office and at the same time refuse the profits of that office, but the fact that he has refused the profits of the office does not save him from the rule of office of profit. Government thinks that that is quite an undesirable thing; being purely technical we need not adopt it. What the Government has done with regard to defining what is an office of profit is a very simple thing; they have decided the basis for determining whether any particular office is an office of profit or not. Recently the Finance Department has made rules for the payment to nonMembers (that is, persons who are not Members of parliament) for work done on various committees. I do not know whether the hon. Members are aware of, or have seen the notification issued by the Finance Department.
Shri Sidhva (Madhya Pradesh) : We are not aware.
Shri Sondhi (Punjab) : It has not been circulated.
Dr. Ambedkar: Well, I think they could get that. Anyhow it is a very simple thing. The allowances which are payable under the Notification (or office Memorandum as they call it) of the Finance Department for members who are working on committees and in other offices and are not Members of Parliament, are these :
Travelling allowance is paid at the rate of 1½ rail fare if he is travelling by rail and 1¼ fare if he is travelling by air.
Then a daily allowance which is paid at the rate of Rs. 12-8-0 per day in Delhi, Rs. 15 in Calcutta and Bombay, the maximum rate being Rs. 20.
Now if there is any Member of Parliament who is appointed to a committee, and if he is not paid more than what is prescribed in the Office Memorandum a summary of which I have just now given to the House, then he will not be