8

Estimates Committee's
Economy Recommendations

On 30 March 1953, Dr Jivraj N. Mehta Finance Minister, moved in the Legislative assembly that the Fourth and Fifth Interim Reports of the Estimates Committee for the year 1951-52 and the Seventh Report for the year 1952-53, be taken into consideration. The Speaker called upon the hon. Members to participate in the debate and requested the members to restrict their remarks only to the contents of the reports. Shri Naushir Bharucha and Shri S. G. Warty took part in the debate and raised certain points. Shri Y. B. Chavan. Minister for Civil Supplies, intervened* in the debate and gave the following information to the House:
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* BLA Debates, Vol. 23, Part II, March-April 1953, pp. 1715-16.

Sir, at the outset, I regret that the information was not supplied to the Legislature Department in time, but then it does not mean that it is the intention either of this department or of the Minister-in-charge of it to show scant respect to this House. We have got sufficient information on hand to show that we have taken action on every recommendation of the Estimates Committee. So, with your permission, Sir, I may intervene in the debate at this stage to give certain information to the House which will facilitate further discussion on the Estimates Committee’s Report with regard to this department. I will try to give the house information as regards the action taken on the Recommendations of the Committee and I shall begin from the last recommendation.

The recommendation to retrench the Deputy Food Controller’s post has been entirely accepted by the Government and the post was retrenched from 1st September 1952.With regard to the recommendation of the Estimates Committee to retrench the post of Public Relations Officer, it has been fully accepted. Not only has the post of Public Relations Officer been retrenched but also some of the staff have been retrenched. So, in place of a saving of about Its 7,000 per annum recommended by the Committee, on account of the further retrenchment of certain officers, we have actually effected an economy of about Rs 28,624 per annum.

As regards the recommendation of the Estimates Committee made in paragraph 4 to abolish one post of Assistant Director of Civil Supplies and one branch, this has not been found feasible. But then we have abolished certain other posts and economy to the tune of Rs 25,000 a year has been effected. About the first recommendation, which contemplates an economy of about Rs 7,000, the Government does not consider it feasible and practicable to accept that suggestion.With regard to frequent examinations and periodical checks I might inform the House that we are frequently making these checks and examination of the staff.So, Sir, the Estimates Committee has recommended a total economy of Rs 1,04,000. By accepting some of the recommendations, we have brought about an economy of about Rs 63,900. This is the information that I want to put before the House.