Special provision with respect to educational grants for the benefit of Anglo-Indian community

Article 298, Draft Constitution 1948 

During the first three financial years after the commencement of this Constitution, the same grants, if any, shall be made by the Union and by each State for the time being specified in Part I of the First Schedule for the benefit of the Anglo-Indian community in respect of education as were made in the financial year ending on the 31st day of March 1948. During every succeeding period of three years the grants may be less by ten per cent than those for the immediately preceding period of three years:

Provided that at the end of ten years from the commencement of this Constitution, such grants, to the extent to which they are a special concession to the Anglo-Indian community, shall cease:

Provided further that no educational institution shall be entitled to receive any grant under this article unless at least forty per cent of the annual admissions therein are made available to members of communities other than the Anglo-Indian community.

Article 337, Constitution of India 1950

During the first three financial years after the commencement of this Constitution, the same grants, if any, shall be made by the Union and by each State specified in Part A or Part B of the First Schedule for the benefit of the Anglo-Indian community in respect of education as were made in the financial year ending on the thirty-first day of March, 1948.

⁠During every succeeding period of three years the grants may be less by ten per cent than those for the immediately preceding period of three years:

⁠Provided that at the end of ten years from the commencement of this Constitution such grants, to the extent to which they are a special concession to the Anglo-Indian community, shall cease:

⁠Provided further that no educational institution shall be entitled to receive any grant under this article unless at least forty per cent of the annual admissions therein are made available to members of communities other than the Anglo-Indian community.

Draft Article 298 (Article 337 of Constitution of India 1950) was taken up for discussion on 16 June1949. It gave the Union and the States the power to make educational grants for the benefit of the Anglo-Indian community. 

One Member felt that the Draft Article would only create more barriers of separation between the Anglo-Indian community and the general population. In similar vein, another Member said that the provision would further communalism and wanted the Assembly to reject the Draft Article.  

The Constituent Assembly did not agree, it adopted the Draft Constitution without amendment.