constituent assembly of india debates (proceedings)- volume vii

(7) there shall be one seat reserved in the Provincial Assembly for a tribal from the area of
the Mirzapur District which is now partially excluded.
EAST PUNJAB
4. The disturbed conditions in the East Punjab have prevented the appearance of witnesses from Spiti
and Lahoul before us and it is equally not possible for us to visit the area. It is unlikely that settled
conditions will prevail in the Punjab before the passes are blocked and we do not propose therefore to
postpone our recommendations which will now be based on the factual memorandum sent by the
Provincial Government.
We consider that constitutional provisions should be made as follows: -
(a) An Advisory Committee of which at least 2/3 shall be local residents shall be set up to
advise the Provincial Government regarding the administration of Lahoul and Spiti.
(b) The Provincial Government may declare any law passed by the Federal or Provincial
Legislature as not applicable to the tracts or applicable with specified modifications.
(c) The Provincial Government may make special regulations for the administration of
criminal and civil law and the protection or rights of local Tibetan inhabitants in land.
(d) The Provincial Government shall report to the Central Government annually or as may
be required by the Central Government regarding the administration of this area and abide
by its directive.
(e) We confirm the recommendation made in paragraph 9 of the Interim Report that there
should be a representative for Lahoul and Spiti in the Provincial Legislature.
5. A Central Department. - After surveying the position in all the provinces, we have been forced to
the conclusion that unless there is a separate department of the Federal Government prescribed by
Statute to supervise and which the development of the scheduled areas and the tribals in the different
provinces and to furnish such advice and guidance as may be needed, the pace of progress of the tribes
will not be sufficiently swift. The Central Government have already recognised the need for a Directorate
of anthropological Survey and we recommend that provision for a Central Department of Tribal Welfare
should be made in the Constitution.
6. Recruitment to Armed Forces. - We are also of the view that special attention should be paid to
the recruitment of the tribes to the armed forces of India. The tribes people can in our opinion furnish
valuable material for this purpose as experience in the last war goes to show.
7. Village and Tribal Headmen. - During the course of our enquiry many complaints of oppression
and mishandling of the tribes people by the hereditary chiefs or heads of villages like the Mustadars
Bissois and Paros and Muthadars of South Orissa, the Parganaits and Pradhans of the Santal Parganas
and the Mankis and Mundas of Singhbhum have reached us. We are of the view that a general review of
the powers and functions of such village or tribal heads should be undertaken by Provincial Governments
with a view to removing the grievances of the tribal villagers, the abolition of powers which are exercised
in an oppressive manner and the general reform of these ancient systems.
8. Non-official welfare organisations. - We recommend that the Provincial Governments should
utilise the services of approved non-official organisations which are at present doing welfare work in the