REPRESENTATION..........MANGS ETC. 309
In the matter of their remuneration the new policy proceeds on the assumption that the remuneration to the village Mahavs was excessive and that the same should be reduced. This was directed to be done either by imposing Judi (a levy in cash) upon their Inam lands where none existed before or by increasing the Judi in cases where the same was already being levied.
In the matter of their duties the Government of Bombay issued Government Resolution No. 7420/33 in the Revenue Department, dated 13-9-1938, in which they have set out the duties which the Mahars, Mangs and Vethias will hereafter be required to perform the duties specified in the Resolution number 19 in all.
To protest against the injustice of this policy a Conference of the Mahars, Mangs and Vethias was held at Haregaon in the Ahmednagar district on 16th November* 1939 under my Presidentship. In that Conference certain Resolutions were passed. These Resolutions were forwarded to Your Excellency for favourable consideration and issue of necessary order by Your Excellency’s Government. For ready reference I have annexed hereto copies of the said Resolutions as Appendix I.
These Resolutions were also placed by Mr. B. K. Gaikwad, M.L.A., at a meeting of the Backward Class Board held on 7th June 1940. Copy of the proceedings of the meeting relating to these items are hereto annexed as Appendix II.
With great respect I am constrained to say that the Government have so far not given their proper consideration to the resolutions passed by the said Conference. More than a year and a half has elapsed since I forwarded the resolutions and yet there has been no modification of the policy of the Government either in the matter of the levy of the Judi or in the matter of revision of the long and onerous list of obligatory duties required to be performed by the Inferior Village Servants. On the contrary, the policy of collecting Judi has been going on apace and even pots and pans of poor and indigent families of the Inferior Village Servants are being attached under the process of the Court and many of these families have been rendered quite destitute.
- Month should be read as December— Janata : 9th and 23rd December 1939.