The Government are not going to lose anything at present. They will have to pay either in the form of basic pay or basic pay plus dearness allowances, the same amount, but certain benefits that will accure will be denied. Mr. Justice Desai, in his report, has stated clearly that a rise in prices will have a greater adverse effect on the lower income groups, working in the banks as well as in other Government Departments. That is why, he has evolved a formula that for a particular class of employees, bank employees, a certain proportion or ration should be calculated in arriving at the dearness allowance. For the category of clerical staff one-seventh of the basic pay of the bank employees will be raised in the dearness allowance for a rise of every ten points in the cost of living. What I would like to impress on the Government is that the bulk of employees are there and the cost of living will have great adverse effects on this large chunk of bank employees. Sir, I thought that the explanation that I had given was a comprehensive explanation and that it will no lead to so much of discussion on the points that had already been clarified in my exposition, but hon. Members still raised some doubts about the measure. So far as imports of goods are concerned. It is not possible for imports to take place in anticipation of getting an import licence. This measures as the hon. Member sitting there pointed out, is an enabling measures. The Customs Collectors have already a discretion in the matter and they have been experience of how this discretion is exercised at the ports, he has said that this will mitigate the difficulties that are being undergone by the importer and exporters. And as I pointed out in my speech, Sir, when this discretion was stopped for the long time being, all the traders and representatives of the trading sections met and expressed their acute difficulties in this regard that they were not able to move forward in regard to export or import, especially with regard to the export of tea.
