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ASSA M AC T V II I OF 1973
( Received the assent of the Governor on the 23rd April, 1973 )
THE ASSA M AG RI CU LT UR AL FA RM IN G CO RP OR AT IO NS
AC T, 1973
[Published in the Assam Gazette, Ex tra ordin ary , da ted the 2 5th A pril 1973]
An Act
Pream ble Whereas it is expedie nt to prov ide for esta blishment and work ing of Agricu ltural Far ming Corpora tions to fac i- litate agricultura l farm ing by organisin g cultivato rs into corporate bodies to manag e and cul tiva te agr icu ltural land and for mat ters connected the rew ith or inc identa l thereto in the ma nner here inafter appea ring ;
It is hereby enacted in the Twenty-four th yea r of the Re- public o f I nd ia, as follows:—
Sho rt title , (1) This Act may be called the "Assam Agricultura l exte nt an d Farming Corpora tions Act, 19)73".
commence- -
(2) It extends to the whole of the Sta te of Assam.
(3) It shall come into force at once. Definitions g. In this Act, unless the re is anyth ing rep ug nant in the sub jec t or conte xt: —
(a) "Agricultura l Farmin g Corpo rat ion " means a Corporati on regi stered under Section 4 of this Act.
(b) "Agricu ltural Produce" means the produc e of Agr icul ture .
(c) "Agriculture" includes rai sing of seasonal crops , hor ticulture , piscicul ture , pou ltry , anima l husba ndry an d sericulture.
(d) " Agriculturi st" means a person who is ord ina rily enga ged by himself in an d whose pri nc ipa l means of livelihood is der ived from tire pro duction of Agr icu ltural Pro duc e: Provided that any person enga ging m embers of his family or hir ed lab ou r for some of the Agricultura l ope rat ion s for which such assis tance is necessary, shall also be deemed to be an agri cul turi st.
(e) " Agricu ltur ist Member " means an Ag riculturi st Member as defined in sub-section (6) of Section 7 of this Act.
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(f) " Ann ua l Ge ne ral M ee tin g" me ans th e Ann ua l Gen eral M ee tin g of a Co rporat ion as men tio ned in sub-sec tion (1) of Section 17 of thi s Ac t.
(g) " Au thor ise d O rd in ar y Sh are Cap ita l" me ans the au thor ised or di na ry share ca pi ta l of a Cor po ra - tio n as men tio ne d un de r Section 7 of this Act.
(h) " Boa rd" or "Bo ard of Di recto rs" me ans the Board of Di rec tor s of a Coipo ra tio n.
(i) " Bye-laws" me ans th e bye-law s mad e un de r Sec tion 30 of thi s Ac t.
(j) " Cha irm an " me ans th e Ch ai rm an of the Board of Di rec tor s of a Corpo ra tio n.
k) " Con tro lle r" me ans the officer ap po in ted as C on - tro lle r by th e St at e Go ve rnmen t under* Sec tion 25 of th is Act.
(l) " C oi po ra tion " means an Ag ric ul tu ra l Fa rm ing Cor po ra tio n .
(m) " Dire ctor " me ans a m em be r of he Board of Di rec tor s of a Cor po ra tio n .
(n) " Gen eral M ee tin g" me ans ei ther an At r ual Gen era l M ee tin g or a spec ial M ee tin g of a Co rporat ion.
(o) " Fa mily " me ans a fam ily of wh ich me mb ers are descendants fro m a comm on ances toi an d hav e a comm on mess , an d shall inclu de hu sb an d, wife or bo th as the case may be, bu t sha ll exc lud e mar rie d da ug hter s, m ar rie d sons an d thei r child ren.
(p) " M em be r" means a ho lder ot one or mo re ordina ry share s in a Co rporat ion .
(q) " M em or an du m " or " M em or an du m of Asso cia- tio n" me ans a M em or an du m of Association of a Co rporat ion as men tio ne d in Sec tion 6 of thi s Ac t.
(r) " Act " me ans the Assam Ag ric ul tura l Farming- Cor po ra tio ns Ac t, 1973.
(s) " O rd in ar y Sh are C ap ital " me ans the au thor ise d or di na ry sh are ca pi ta l of a Co rporati on .
(t) " O rd in ar y Sha re " me ans an or di na ry share of th e au thor ised or di na ry share ca pi ta l of a Co rporat ion.
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(u) " Prescr ibed " means prescr ibed by ru les m ad e under thi s Act .
(v) " Sh are ho ld er " me ans a pe rson ho ld ing ei ther or di na ry or pre fer ence share or sha res in a Cor po ra - tio n .
(w) " Sh are C ap ital " inclu des the ordina ry an d pr e- fer enc e share ca pi ta l of a Cor po ra tio n.
(x) " Special Gen eral M ee tin g" me ans a Speci al Gen eral M ee tin g as men tio ne d in Section 18 ol thi s Ac t.
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2.(1 ) An y fifty or more Ag ric ult ur ist s ap prov ed by the Ag ric ul tur al St at e Gov ernm en t jo in tly with th e State Go ve rnmen t Fa rm ing may for m an Agr icul tu ra l Fa rm in g Co rporat ion in th e Cor po ra tio n. St at e: Prov ided th a t th e State Go ve rnmen t smay, in its discr etion , redu ce the min im um nu m be r of Ag ric ult ur ist s fro m fifty to no t less th an twenty, for an y Cor po ra tio n who se main ob jec tive is to engage in D ai ry or Po ul try or Fishery.
(2) The Ag ric ult ur ist s in tend ing to form a Corpo ra tio n toge ther with a represen ta tiv e to be no m in at ed by the State Gov ernm en t in this beh alf , sha ll in a mee tin g to be he ld in th e m an ne r pre scr ibe d, ad op t th e M em or an du m of Ass ociatio n of the prop osed Corpo ra tio n an d in tok en the reo f, th e Pr es iden t of the me eti ng , a t lea st on e fifth of the Ag ri- cu ltu ris ts pres en t in the meetin g an d th e State Gov ernm en t's repres en ta tiv e sha ll sign th ree copies of th e M em or an du m of As socia tion so ad op te d in th e me eti ng .
(3) Eac h Ag ric ul tu ris t at tend in g th e mee tin g ref err ed to in sub -section (2) abov e an d in te nd in g to jo in th e Cor po ra tio n sha ll, a t th e tim e of the mee tin g, subsc ribe in cash to th e or di na ry share ca pi ta l of the prop osed Cor - po ra tio n an d pa y suc h adm iss ion or ot he r fees, as may be prescri bed.
(4) T he am ou nts col lec ted un de r sub-sect ion (3) sha ll be in th e custo dy of th e State Gov er nm en t's represen ta tiv e at te nd in g th e mee tin g un til l the Corpo ra tio n is reg istere d unde r sub-s ect ion (2) of Sec tion
x ing.
6 an d sta rts fun cti on -
4. (1) Thr ee copies of th e M em or an du m of Asso- cia tio n af ter be ing du ly signed in the meeting as re qu ired un de r sub -sectio n (2) of Section 3 sha ll be forw arde d by th e State Go ve rnmen t's represen ta tiv e presen t in th e mee tin g to th e Co ntrolle r.
(2) The Co ntrolle r ma y re tu rn th e M em oran du m of Assoc iati on to th e send er for such corrections or cl ar i- fications or mo dif ica tions as he ma y de em nec essary .
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(3) T he co nt ro lle r sha ll, af ter sati sfying him sel f th at th e M em or an du m of Ass ociatio n is in or de r an d meets the re qu irem en t of thi s Ac t an d rules mad e th ereu nd er an d th at th e State Go ve rnmen t is wi llin g an d read y to pa rti cipa te in th e pro po sed Corpo ra tio n, reg ister the M em or an du m an d in tok en th ereo f mak e necessa ry endo rse men t on the bo dy of al l th e th ree copies of the M em oran du m.
(4) O n reg ist er ing th e M em or an du m the Co ntrolle r sha ll also issu e un de r his ha nd an d seal a cer tif ica te to this effect an d sen d th e cer tif ica te toge ther with one or i- gina l cop y of th e M em or an du m to the State Gov ernm en t's repres en ta tiv e fro m wh om the se we re rec eived by him . Effect of 5 .( 1) O n an d from the da te wh en the M em oran du m Regis tra tion. o f Associa tion is reg istere d an d a cer tif ica te to this effect is issu ed by th e Co nt ro lle r th e Co rporat ion sha ll be duly- co ns tit uted an d wil l be know n by a disti nc t nam e, as ap pr ov - ed by th e Co ntrolle r.
(2) Fr om suc h da te as ref err ed to in sub -sectio n (1) th e Corpo ra tio n wil l be a body co rp orate ha ving pe rp e- tu al successio n an d a comm on sea l an d sha ll, subjec t to an y restr ict ion s or conditions as may be prescri bed un de r this Ac t or an y ot he r en ac tm en t in force, ha ve powe r to ho ld an d dispose of pr op er ty an d to co nt ract , an d sha ll by th e said na me, sue or be sued an d do all ot he r things nec ess ary for th e pu rpose of th is Ac t.
dat^ofAsso- 6- (1) Ev ery Co rporat ion shall ha ve a M em oran du m of ciation. Ass ociatio n, co ntaining its object ives, reg ula tio ns an d pro - cedu res an d such othe r m at te rs , as may be pre scr ibe d. A M em or an du m wil l ha ve th e forc e of law on al l mem - ber s of th e re leva nt Co rporat ion.
(2) A M em or an du m may be al te red only in the man ne r prescr ibed an d eve ry suc h al te ra tio n sha ll be du ly regis- te red in th e m an ne r prescri be d wi th the Co ntro lle r an d will no t tak e effect un til it is so reg iste red . Sha reai^ ap
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7. (1) A Co rporat ion sha ll have an au tho ris ed ordina ry members. sh ar e ca pi ta l divide d in to shares of Ru pees ten each.
(2) A Corpo ra tio n may also have pre ference share ca pi ta l divid ed in to sh are of Ru pees ten each.
(3) The State Go ve rnmen t sha ll subscribe to no t less th an fifty-on e pe r ce nt of the au thor ise d or di na ry sh ar e ca pi ta l of a Co rporat ion ei ther in cash or by wa y of the va lue of the land , bu ild ing s, eq uipm en t or machi - ne ry or an y othe r assets ira ns ferre d to the Co rporati on .
(4) Ea ch ag ric ul tu ris t jo in in g a Co rporat ion a t th e tim e of its form ati on un de r Section 3 or on adm iss ion to th e Co rporat ion subsequent to it form ati on sha ll co nt ri - bu te in cash to one ordina ry share of th e Co rporati on .
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(5) No Ag ric ul tu ris t shal l be allo wed to ho ld mo re th an one ordina ry share , in a Co rporat ion.
(6) T he State Go ve rnmen t or an Ag ric ul tu ris t ho lding an or di na ry share in a Co rporat ion m ay also co nt rib ut e to the pre fer ence share ca pi ta l of th e Corpo ra tio n ei ther in cash or by wa y of th e va lue of the la nd , bui ldings, eq ui p- m en t or machine ry or an y ot he r asse ts tra ns ferre d to the Co rporat ion.
(7) A ho lder of one or more of th e O rd in ar y shares in a Co rporat ion shall be know n as "M em be r" of th e Co rporati on . (8 ) An Agr icul tu ris t ho ld ing an or di na ry share in a Cor po ra tio n sha ll be know n as an "Ag ric ul turis t M em - be r" .
(9) No mem be r sha ll tra nsfer or dispose of the shares he ld by him in the Corpo ra tio n except in the m an ne r pre s- cr ibe d.
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(10) No tw ith stan ding an ything co ntain ed in an y othe r provisions of this Ac t, no mem be r of a fam ily of wh ich an ot he r mem be r is al read y in ag ric ul tu ris t mem be r of a Corpo ra tio n, shall be ad m itt ed as an ag ric ul tu ris t me mber of ei ther th at Corpo ra tio n or an y ot he r Co rporat ion. M em be rship 8. (1) Af ter its in iti al fo rm ati on a Corpo ra tio n may ad m it Ad missi on , m or e, ag ric ul tu ris t mem be r, in the m an ne r prescri be d, righ ts , du ties .
(2) An ag ric ul tu ris t mem be r sha ll have suc h righ t an d du tie s as may be prescr ibed in the ru les or in th e Mem o- ra ndum of Association.
C eas at io n of 9- (1) An ag ric ul tu ris t mem be r shall be lia ble to for- Mem be rsh ip . fei t his mem bersh ip an d cease to be a mem be r of th e Co r- po ra tio n an d ma y, acc ord ing ly, be rem ov ed fro m such mem bersh ip in t he m an ne r prescri bed, if it is decid ed by th e Bo ard th at he has fai led to ab ide by th e proviso ns of this Ac t or rules' mad e th er eu nd er or th e terms an d con- dit ion s co ntain ed in the M em or an du m of Association or bye-law s or for reason s of mi sco nduct de tr im en ta l to the inter es ts of th e Cor po ra tio n:
Prov ided th at th e Bo ard ma y, if it so desi res,
in stea d of remo vin g suc h an ag ric ul tu ris t mem be r from th e mem be rsh ip of the Co rporat ion, allo w hi m to co nt inue as an Agr icul tu ris t mem be r, by rea lis ing a reason ab le com - po un ding fee, no t exc eed ing one thou sa nd rupe es :
Prov ided fu rthe r th at an ag ric ul tu ris t mem be r aggr iev - ed by a dec ision of the Board un de r thi s sub -sectio n, may ap pe al to the State Go ve rnmen t ag ain st such dec isio n of the Bo ard an d th e dec isio n of th e State Gov ernm en t on suc h an ap pe al shall be final an d bind ing on th e Co rporati on 'and th e Ag ric ul tu ris t mem be r concern ed .
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Register of Share' holders.
(2) An ag ric ul tu ris t mem be r may a t an y tim e resign fro m th e mem bersh ip of a Corpo ra tio n by giv ing du e no tice in writ ing in the m an ne r prescr ibed to the Se cre tar y of the Co rporat ion.
(3) An ag ric ul tu ris t mem be r ceasing to be a mem be r of th e Corpo ra tio n un de r sub -sec tions (1) an d (2) shall be lia ble to be remo ved fro m the possession of the land or othe r pr op er ty of th e Corpo ra tio n al lo tte d for his use whi le he was a mem be r of the Co rporat ion.
(4) An ag ricu ltu ris t mem be r cea sing to be a mem be r of th e Co rporat ion sha ll for feit the am ou nt inv est ed by h im in th e or di na ry share s of the Corpo ra tio n bu t th e am ou nt inv est ed by hi m in th e pre fer ence shares wi ll be pa ya ble to him af te r re al isa tio n of all dues from him. The Cor po ra - tio n shall also pa y to him reason ab le comp ensation for an y im mov ab le str uc tures cr ea ted by him or cro ps gro wn or an im als or bi rds ra ise d by h im on th e la nd o f the Co r- po ra tio n with du e au th or ity fro m th e Corpo ra tio n an d left be hi nd by hi m :
Pr ov ided th at no such comp ensat ion sha ll be pa ya ble in respec t of str uc tu res erec ted , crops grow n or animals or bi rds ra ise d by th e sa id mem be r on th e land of the Corpo ra tio n with ou t du e au th or ity an d such st ructures , cro ps or an im als or bi rds shall be take n over by an d for feit ed to the Co rporati on .
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(5) An y sum s du e fro m an y ag ric ul tu ris t mem be r who ceases to be a mem be r of th e Co rporat ion un de r , sub - . sec tion s (1) an d (2) sha ll be reali sab le as ar re ar of land reve nu e fro m him an d for th at pu rpose th e am ou nt du e to such a mem be r un de r sub -sectio n (4) m ay be ad jus ted by th e Co rporat ion again st th e due s of th e mem bers to the Co rporati on s.
(6) The am ou nt of or di na ry share ca pi ta l of an ag ri- cu ltu ris t mem ber, wh ich is for fei ted un de r sub -section (4) wi ll be tra ns ferre d to the Re ser ve fund of th e Co rporat ion.
10. Ea ch Co rporat ion sha ll m aint ain a t its office a reg ister of the share-h olde rs an d shall en te r therein th e fol- low ing pa rti cu la rs so far as t hey may be av ai lable na m ely:—
(i) T he name s an d add res s of the share -ho lde rs an d a statem en t of th e shares he ld by them , dis tingu ish ing each share by its deno tin g nu m be r ;
(ii) The da te on wh ich a per son is en tered as a share-h olde r ;
(iii) The da te on wh ich an y pe rson ceases to be a share-h olde r ; an d
(iv) Such othe r pa rti cu lars as may be prescri be d.
• t 7 M sa ag em en t. H . ^1) Ph e ge ne ra l su pe rin tend en ce , di rect io n an d , man ag em en t of th e affairs of every Cor po ra tion shall vest in a Bo ard of Direc tor s, wh ich ma y, subject to t he provis ions of this Ac t or the rul es or th e M em or an du m of Ass ociatio n pe rfo rm al l fun ctions of the Corpo ra tio n.
(2) The Bo ard , in dis charg ing its fun ctions shall ac t wi th du e re ga rd to th e in te rest of th e Corpo ra ton an d the ag ricu ltu ris t memb ers .
Board of 12. (1) The Bo ard of Dir ec tor s sha ll cons ist of th e follow- Direc tor s ing , na m el y;—
(a) No t less th an one h a lf of th e to ta l nu m be r of Di recto rs to be no minated by the State Go ve rn- men t.
(b) The remaining nu m be r of Dire cto rs to be ele cte d at the an nu al ge ne ral mee tin g, in th e m an ne r pre scrib ed .
(c) A Cha irm an to be ele cte d from am on g th em - selves by th e Di recto rs in th e m an ne r prescri be d, who shall be know n as the Ch ai rm an of th e Cor - po ra tio n :
Pr ov ided th at on th e first cons tituti on of th e Bo ard , the Di recto rs ref err ed to in clause (b) an d th e Cha irm an refer- re d to in clause (c) sh all also be no minated by the State Go ve rnmen t an d the Di recto rs an d Cha irm an so no minated sha ll, for th e pu rpose of thi s Ac t, be deem ed to be du ly el ec ted:
Prov ided fu rthe r th a t the Di rec tor s an d Cha irm an so no m in at ed shall ho ld office un til th e conclusion of the first an nual ge ne ra l mee tin g of th e Co rporati on .
(2) As soon as m ay be pos sib le af ter a Corpo ra tio n is regis ter ed un de r sub-sectio ns (3) an d (4) of Sec tion 4, the St at e Gov ernm en t sha ll no minate th e Di rec tor s an d C ha ir - m an of the Co rporat ion.
(3) T he nu m be r of mem bers of a B oa rd of Di rec tor s sh all be as prescri be d in th e M em or an du m. Te rm of
office and
reti rem ent
of Directors.
Direc tor s no minated
office du ring the
13. (1) The men t shall ho ld Go vernm ent.
(2) The Di rec tor s deem ed to be viso to sub -sectio n (1) of Section 12 an nu al ge ne ral
by the
ple asu re
State Go vern-
of th e St at e
elected un de r the Pr o-
shal l re tir e in the firs t
(3) O ne th ird of the elected Direc tor s, or if th ei r nu m - be r is n ot a mul tip le of thr ee , th e nu m be r ne ares t to one th ird, sha ll re tir e by ro ta tio n a t eve ry annu a) general meeting.
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(4) Th e elected Directors to ret ire by rot ation at every an nu al genera l mee ting sha ll be those who hav e been long- est in office since their las t election and as betw een per- sons who were elected Directors on the same day, those who are to ret ire shal l, in default of and subje ct to a ny agr eem ent amo ng themselves , be det erm ined by lot.
(5) Th e vacancies in the office of elec ted Directors due to ret ireme nt shal l be filled by elections held in an an nu al gen era l mee ting.
(6) Casual vacancies in the office of elected Direc tors due to resigna tion , death or otherw ise, shall be filled w ithin three mon ths from the da te of such vacancies arise by election either at an annual genera l mee ting or at a specia l General mee ting , as the case may be, an d a Direc tor so elected to fill the casual vacancy shall hold office for the une xpi red portio n of the term of his predecessor.
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(7) No elec ted Dir ector who resigns or ret ire s or is othe rwise removed due to any disqualif icatio n shall be elli- gib le for re-e lectio n as a Direc tor either in the annual general meetin g in which he retir es, or which follows his resig nation or removal or in the next five annual gen era l meetings following such an nu al gen era l mee ting :
Provide d th at nothing in this sub-section shal l app ly to any person ret irin g as a Director eith er after hav ing been elec ted to fill a casual vac ancy for less th an two years unde r sub-section (5) or afte r bein g deem ed to be elected un de r the first proviso to sub-section (1) of Section 12 .
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Disquali fi- cations.
Vacation and resignat ion o f office by
Directors.
14. No person sha ll be a Direc tor who—
(a) is of unsound mi nd and stands so decla red by a com petent court ; or
(b) is or has been convicted of an y offence which, in the opin ion of the Sta te Government , involves moral turpit ude.
15. (1) I f . a Dir ector oth er than an official nomin ated by the Sta te Government :—
(a) becomes subject to any disqualif icatio n me n- tioned in Section 12; or
(b) is absen t witho ut leave of the Board for more than three consecutive meet ings thereof, his sea t shal l the reu pon become vacant .
(2) Any Direc tor elected unde r clause (b) of sub-sec tion
(1) of Section 12 may resign his office by giving notice thereo f in wri ting to the Board and on 'such resig natio n being acc ept ed shall be deem ed to have vac ate d his office.
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Meeting of 16- (1) T he Bo ard sha ll mee t a t such tim es and shall Board , obs erve such rul es of proc ed ure in re ga rd to th e tra nsac tio ns of business at its me eti ng , as may be pre sc ri bed .
(2) A Dire ctor shall ha ve only one vo te in the me etin gs of th e Bo ard an d th e Cha irm an or in his absen ce the pe rso n ele cte d to th e Cha ir shall in th e ev en t of eq ua lity of votes on an y issue ha ve a casting vo te in ad di tio n to his vo te as a Dire ctor cum Ch ai rm an .
An nu al 17. (1) An an nu al ge ne ra l mee tin g of a Co rporati on Ge neral s [i a jJ he ld every ye ar in t he mon th of Fe br ua ry to tra ns ac t me eting , business as may be prescr ibed an d in pa rt ic ul ar to—■
(a) pass th e au di te d ac co un ts of th e Corpo ra tio n for
• th e pre vio us fin an cial ye ar en ding on th e 31st De cembe r of th e pr ec ed ing ye ar ;
(b) ele ct fro m am on g th e ag ric ul tu ris ts mem bers per - sons to fill va ca nc ies caused am on g th e ele cte d Di rec tor s of th e Bo ard ;z
(c) pass th e bu dg et an d ap pr ov e th e pr og ramme of wo rk of th e Cor po ra tio n for th e y e a r .
(2) Notwith stan ding an ything co nt aine d in sub-s ect ion (1) , th e firs t an nu al ge ne ra l mee tin g of a Co rporat ion ma y be he ld ei th er in th e mon th of Fe br ua ry following th e registr at ion of th e Corpo ra tio n or the mon th of Fe br ua ry of the ne xt ye ar , as the Bo ard may decide ,
(3) The proc ed ure to be followed in an y an nu al gen eral meeting shall be as prescri bed .
Spe cia l 18. A Corpo ra tio n ma y ho ld a specia l ge ne ral meeting Gen eral t o con sid er such m at te rs an d in suc h m an ne r as pre scrib ed , meetin g. - 1 Vo tin g 19.i (1) In an y ge ner al mee tin g of a Cor po ra tio n, every Rights, mem be r of the Cor po ra tio n sh all ha ve such nu m be r of the vo tes, eq ui va le nt to th e nu m be r of or di na ry sh are he ld by th at m em be r .
(2) T he St at e Go ve rnmen t may no m in at e one or more represen ta tiv es , no t exceed ing five to at te nd an y ge ne ra l mee tin g of a Cor po ra tio n on its beha lf. T he nu m be r of vo tes he ld by ea ch such repres en ta tiv e in a ge ne ral meeting sha ll be de te rm ined by dividing th e to ta l nu m be r of or di na ry sha res he ld by th e State Go ve rnmen t by th e nu m be r of repre sen tat ive s no minated by it to at te nd the gene ral mee tin g .
(3) T he Cha irm an of an y ge ne ra l meeting shall have one casting, vot e, wh en ever eq ua l nu m be r of votes is eas t on an y issue, in ad di tio n to his vote.
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Quorum, 20. No business sh all be tran sa cted a t an y Bo ard or Gen eral mee tin g unle ss a qu or um is presen t. The qu orum nec ess ary for th e tra ns ac tio n of bus iness at any me eting sh al l be on e- th ird of the to ta l nu m be r of me mb ers or the Di rectors, as the case may b e :
Prov ided an y mee tin g in wh ich no qu or um is presen t with in on e ho ur of .the tim e fixed for th e me eting , shall st an d ad jo ur ne d to th e sam e day in the ne xt wee k at the same tim e an d place an d in such ad jo ur ne d mee tin g the business may be tra ns ac ted even with ou t th e pre sen ce of a qu or um bu t subjec t to the conditions an d proc ed ure uas pre scr ibe d.
Use o f lan d
and other
prop erty . *or
as
21. (1) A Co rporat ion may use its la nd or ot he r prop er ty the pu rpose of r ais ing ag ric ul tu ra l prod uc e in suc h m an ne r may be prescri bed in th e M em or an du m.
(2) A Corpo ra tio n may use or allo w use of its land or pr op er ty for re side nt ia l, ad min is tra tiv e or ot he r pu rposes in th e m an ne r an d subjec t to te rm s an d cond itions pr es cr ibed in th e M em or an du m or bye -laws .
(3) No tw ith stan ding an yt hi ng co ntaine d in an y othe r en ac tm en t in for ce no ag ricu ltu ri st m em be r or pe rson shall ac qu ire an y ri gh t ov er the land or pr op er ty all ow ed to be us ed by him or otherw ise occu pied or take n over by him oth er th an tho se specifi cal ly men tio ne d i n th e rul es or M em o- ra ndum or ' bye -laws or th e or de r or do cu m en t all ow ing th e use of la nd or pr op er ty by hi m .
1
Payment of dues for Comm on services. 222 .(1) Fo r pr ov id ing facilit ies such as ir riga tio n or machine ry or ot he r comm on serv ices for cu ltiva tio n or ot he r ag ric ul - tu ra l use an d for ad minist ra tiv e an d ot he r costs of wo rki ng of th e Co rp or at ion, th e Corpo ra tio n may levy an d rea lise from th e ag ric ul tu ris t me mb ers charges ar rive d a t ei th er on a comm on bas is or on a basi s of ac tu al use of suc h fac ilit ies or services by an ag ric ul tu ris t mem be r, as th e case m ay be , an d every ag ric ul tu ris t m em be r sh al l be lia ble to pa y such sum s as may be de man de d by th e Cor po ra tio n in this re ga rd .
(2) Ev ery ag ric ul tu ris t m em be r shall also be lia bl e to pa y such othe r fees as may be levied by th e C cr pciE ti cr . Modern
Agricultural
Prac tice to
be followed and produ ce sold through the Corpo- ration
23.
m od ern Bo ard .
(1) Ev ery ag ric ul tu ris t mem be r shall follow such ag ric ul tu ra l prac tic es as may be orde red by the
I
11
Supervis ion, Control and guida nce. Va lid ity of decisions of meetings. Accounts
an d A udi t.
(2) No agriculturist member shall sell any agr icu ltural produc e produc ed by him on the Corpo rat ion 's land and specified by the Board except through the Corpo rat ion and the Corpo rat ion shal l pay to such agriculturist memb er such am ou nt as may be due to him on the sale of the agri- cultu ral pro duce after ded uct ing expenses, if any , on this accou nt .
24. No twithstanding anyth ing con tain ed in any oth er enact me nt in force, any occupa tion or use of lan d or p roperty of a Corpo rati on, wi tho ut due autho rity from th at Co rpora- tion , by any person may, on an app lica tion rece ived from the Corpo rati on, be rem oved by the auth ori ties empowere to eject persons from lan d reserved for pub lic purposes unde r sub-rul e (2) of Ru le 18 of the Set tlem ent Rule s un de r the Assam La nd an d Reven ue Regulati on, 1886, and in the manne r prescribed the rein, and for the purpose of this section the lan d of the Corpo rati on will be deem ed to be lan d over which no person has acq uir ed the righ ts of a pro prieto r, land-h old er or sett lem ent-ho lder and which has been reserved duly for public purposes as refe rred to in sub-rules (1) and (2) of the said Ru le 18 of the Set tle- me nt Rules unde r the Assam La nd and Reven ue Re gu la- tion , 1886.
25. (1) Th e Sta te Government may appo int any officer to perform the func tions of the Con troller unde r the Ac t.
(2) Th e Controlle r will be responsible for supe rvision of the working of the Agricultura l Fa rming Cor poratio ns an d pro vid ing necessary guidan ce to such Cor poratio ns and will perform such oth er functions and will hav e such powers as ma y be prescribed.
(3) Th e Sta te Government may delegate all or any of its or the Controlle r's powers an d funct ions to any official of the Sta te Government or anybod y or organis ation.
26. Decisions of the Board or any gen eral meetin g of the Corpo rat ion on ma tte rs pres cribed shall no t be val id unless app rov ed by the Sta te Governm ent.
27. (1) Th e bala nce -sheet an d acco unts of the Co rpo ra- tion shal l be prepare d an d ma intain ed in such form and manne r as ma y be prescr ibed .
(2) Th e Board shal l cause the books and accounts of the Corpo rat ion to be bal anced an d closed as on the thir ty-firs t day of De cem ber each yea r or any oth er da te as ma y be pres cribed .
(3) Th e acco unts of the Corpo rat ion shal l be audit ed by an app roved au dit ing agency . as may be prescribed.
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Staff of the 28. (1) A Corporati on shal l with the appro val of the Corpo rati on Government appo int any person as Secreta ry cum Manager of the Corporatio n. He shal l be a whole time sal aried officer of the Corpo rati on an d will perform all executive an d oth er duti es of the Corpo rati on as the Board may from time to tim e decide.
(2) A Corporati on ma y also appoint such num ber o f other salaried sta ff as i t considers necessary or desirable for the efficient perf ormance of its functions.
(3) A Corporati on sha ll determine the terms and con- ditions of appointme nt and service of the sala ried staf f in consult atio n with the Sta te Governm ent. Power to 29. (1) Th e Sta te Gov ernment may by not ification in mak e rules . t ji e o ffjc ia i Gazette make rules to carry out the purposes of this Act.
(2) Every Ru le made under this Section sha ll be laid , as soon as may be, after it is made, before the Assam Legislative Assembly whi le it is in session for a total per iod of fourtee n days which may be comprised in one session or in two successive sessions an d if before the expiry of the said perio d the Assam Legis lative Assembly decid e th at the ru le should not be ma de or should be ma de only in a modified form, the rule shal l thereafter be of no effect or hav e effec t only in such mod ified form , as the case may be, so however th at any such annu lm ent or modification sha ll be wi tho ut pre judice to the val idit y of anyth ing previ- ously done under th at rule .
Power to
make
bye-laws.
30. Th e Board may , wi th the previous appro val of the Sta te Gov ernmen t, make bye-law no t inconsis tent with the provis ions of this Act to provide for all ma tte rs to car ry out the purpose of this Act the rules ma de the reu nder on the Me mo ran dum of Association.
1
Power to 31. (1) If in the opin ion of the Sta te Government , a supersedes Board or a Corpo rati on is no t com petent to perfo rm or o r
th e
VE P e r s
istently com mit defaul t in the performance of the duties Corporatio n impo sed on it by or unde r this Act or rules the reu nder in case of or the Mem ora ndum of Association or otherwise by law, incompe- o r exceeds or abuses its powers or pers isten tly fails to work defa uitT 'oras an
economical ly viable orga nisa tion , the Sta te Government,' abuse of after giving the Board or the Corpo rati on, as th e case ma y power. be, an opportu nity for sub mit ting an exp lanatio n in the mat ter ma y by not ifica tion , sta ting the reasons for so do in g,
13
on the funct ions of the Board un til such time as the Sta te Government may decide, or
(b) dissolve the Corpo rat ion :
Provided th at if for emergent reasons and pen ding form aliti es relating to supersession ol the Beard , it is necessary, in the opin ion the Sta te Gov ernmen t, to sUupcrd the Board forth wi th, it may do so ar.d appoint an ad hoc be dy to carry on the functions of the Board for such per iod as may be det erm ined by the Sta te Gov ernment:
Provide d furth er th at while supe rseding a Ec aid the Sta te Gov ernment may also direct th at the elected directors of th at Board shal l no t be eligible for re-e lect icn for such per iod no t exceeding six years from the da te of supersession o f the Board.
(2) On dissolu tion of the Corpo rati on under sub-section (1), the pro perty of the Corporatio n will be disposed of in the ma nner prescribed.
32. (1) No suit , prosecu tion or oth er legal proceed ing shal l lie aga ins t a Corpo rati on or its employees or Govern- me nt Sei ean ts for anyth ing done or inte nde d to be done in good faith unde r this Act or Rules rfrade the reu nder or die rpemorandum of Association of the Corporation.
(2) No civil suit or legal proce edings shall he en ter - tained by any court in matters of disp ute • between a Cor- porat ion and its mem bers and in all such matters the dec i- sion of the Sta te Government shal l be final ar.d bin ding on the par ties concerned.
33. Notwi ths tanding anyth ing con tain ed in this Act or any oth er law fcr the time bein g in force, the liab ility of the member of a Corpo rati on as regards dues of the Cor- porat ion to th ird partie s will be limi ted to the extent of the valu e of this ord ina ry or prefe rence shares held by them in the Corpo rati on. Provide d th at each ind ivid ual mem ber will be liab le to pay to the Corpo rati on all his dues to the Corpo rati on.
Repea l an d 34 .(1 ) Th e Assam Agricultura l Far ming Corpora tions Savings. Ordin anc e, 1973, is hereby repeale d. nan«« IV of
(2) Notwithstand ing such repeal any thing done or1973
■ any action take n unde r the Ordin ance so repealed, shall be deem ed to have been done or taken, as th e case may be under the correspo nding provisions of th is Act.
\G P4( Gau.) No. L. A. 314/73— 1,500—11-6-73