Indian Statutory Commission. Memorandum Submitted by the Government of Bengal to the Indian Statutory Commission

In reply to the invitation of the Indian Statutory Commission the Government of Bengal have in the first part of this volume collected material relevant to the enquiry of the Commission and have endevoured to describe the working of the system of government introduced by the Government of India Act of 1919. [...] The main masses of the " untouchables " are the Bauris and Santals on the western side of the Burdwan Division the Bagdis and Chasi Kaibarttas on the plains of Western Bengal the Namasudras in adjoining parts of Faridpur Khulna and Jessore and the Rajbansis of Dinajpur Ranpur and Jalpaiguri. [...] In the plains area the population consists mainly of Bengalis while that of the rest of the district contains rpresentatives of numerous hill races of which the principal are the Lepchas various sections of Nepalese and Bhutias from Bhutan Sikkim and the Chumbi valley of Tibet. [...] This was followed in 1814 by an annual grant from the Company of one lakh of rupees for the revival and improvement of literature and the encouragement of the learned natives of India and for the introduction and promotion of a knowledge of the sciences among the inhabitants of the British terrtories of India ". This declaration contains the seed of that struggle between the views of the " O [...] In the description of primary education brief notice was taken of the conflict between the Orientalists " and the " Anglicists " which ending in the victory of the latter resulted in the establisment of Government high schools in each district in the hope that pupils therein trained would spread education throughout the masses.