PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 905
may be that in the higher staff it is required—much intellectual eminence. But we are not talking about them. But taking the other ranks, we find that the figure has gone down from
22,000 to some 18,000. Why? The Army, I understand, has been expanding, and with the expansion of the Army one would naturally expect an increase in the number of scheduled caste men in the Army. In all other places, you say they are unsuitable. And that is a very ambiguous phrase. All public service commissions and appointing authorities have learnt that phrase by heart. You simply say the man is unsuitable, and there is an end of the matter. But in the Army what is there to be unsuitable? What is the unsuitability about? There you have certain measurement of the chest. There are very few people among the scheduled caste’s who would not fulfil that test. Then you have certain tests of height—some 5 ft. 4 inches or so. Well, I think all scheduled caste candidates would fill up that height (Interruption). Very few, there may be, I admit, who may fail. But given these physical standards of health, chest measurements and height, I should have thought that almost every scheduled caste man was fit to be in the military service. And when you are denying them service in other departments of the Government of India, surely you ought to make some concession to them in departments like the Army and the Police where education is not a matter of any considerable moment- But there again you have been behaving in a stepmotherly fashion. I do not know whether the Home Department evertakes interest in these figures, or knows them and pursues the matter. Surely, the Commanderin-Chief ought to be asked by them as to why this deterioration has taken place.
Then, Sir I come to the All-India Serviced There are what they call the Administrative Service and the Indian Police Service. Recruitment to these, I think, started through the Public Services Commission, in the year 1952. My hon. friend Shri Datar will correct me, if I am wrong. But I think that is the year.
The Deputy Minister For Home Affairs (Shri B. N. Datar) : About 1946.