constituent assembly of india debates (proceedings)- volume vii

is enfranchised and is included in the Dehra Dun rural constituency, it is considered incapable of sending
representatives to the legislature.
As regards the Mirzapur District, the excluded area consists of four parganas of which only the Agori
and Bijaigarh parganas have a concentration of aboriginals. The population consists of a number of tribes
having affinities to the tribes in the neighbouring provinces from which they have come. There is no
strong tribal life left among them. Their occupations are said to be those usually followed by the
Scheduled Castes and in their religious and social customs they are similar to low-caste Hindus.
The land revenue system of this area is different from the rest of the Province and is based on a
plough tax. Then on-agricultural classes are gradually acquiring land from the aboriginal. The Tahsildars
of the tract who exercise magisterial functions are Munsifs also. Except in relation to suits of succession
and divorce, the court of the Commissioner is the highest court of appeal in civil suits. The area is under
the jurisdiction of the District Board of Mirzapur.
The Provincial Government are of the view that there is no justification for this area being treated
differently from the rest of the province and that normal administration should be extended to it
immediately.
4. POLITICAL EXPERIENCE -
The people of the excluded areas have no experience of local self-governing institutions of the
modern or statutory type and are of course not represented in the legislature. The management of a
Local Board is perhaps likely to be a much bigger undertaking for the people of these areas than the
mere election of a representative to the legislature and the establishment of such bodies needs perhaps
a period of official guidance and control, particularly in areas like the Madras islands. The partially
excluded areas on the other hand are all included in electoral constituencies of the provincial legislatures
and with the exception of the Agency tracts of Madras and Orissa,* the Santhal Parganas and Jaunsar
Bawar, are covered by local boards also. There are certain reserved constituencies, viz., Bihar 7, Orissa5,
Madras 1, Bombay 1 and C. P. 1. In Orissa, four of the five members are selected by nomination. Unlike
Assam, no reservation of seats had been made for tribals of the plains or non-excluded areas and these
vote along with general Voters. In Bombay, C. P. and Chota Nagpur, the tribal though reported to be
apathetic and showed aside by non-tribals, have known, at least nominally, such bodies as local boards.
Nevertheless it is likely to take some time before there is sufficient interest in these bodies and probably
interest in local self-government will have to be built up from the village stage. Although as shown by Mr.
Grigson in his report, the tribals cast their vote as copiously as others, they have yet to learn to utilise its
powers to their own advantage.
-------------------------------------------------
* In the Koraput District there is a District Board with the collector as president .
-------------------------------------------------
5. EFFECTS OF EXCLUSION -
Although exclusion or partial exclusion has been in force for a number of years now, the benefits
which the areas have derived from it are not particularly noticeable. In the case of the excluded areas,
the sole responsibility for the administration has lain upon the Governor and the revenues earmarked for
these areas have been outside the vote of the provincial legislature. No definite programme for the
development of the excluded areas with a view to removing the disability of exclusion has been followed.