As regards Mr. Himmat Singh Maheshwari’s amendment I am afraid he is unduly sensitive about the Federation encroaching on the province of the Indian States. I would ask him to realise how much he may stand to lose in Indian States if we excepted institutions of the kind located in Indian States from the financial help that such institutions may expect from the Federation, if the item stood as it is. I may assure him that there is no attempt behind this item to clutch jurisdiction over institutions in Indian States; if the rulers and the peoples of the Indian States are willing to run institutions of this kind and finance them wholly themselves, I do not think the, Federation will be anxious to exercise any jurisdiction over those institutions. But it may be that the people of the Indian States would stand to benefit greatly by looking for help to the Centre in regard to institutions of national importance which neither they nor their rulers have got the financial capacity to maintain at the proper standard. I think, Sir, it will be to the benefit of the Indian State that they allow this item to remain as it is.
