(1) Every employer or dealer or producer of Handicraft products liable to pay contribution under section 4 shall, pending determination under section 11 of the amount due from him, pay on or before the 5th day of every month an amount equivalent to one twelfth of the amount payable annually by him according to the latest determination under the said section.
(2) The contribution for a month due from a Handicraft Artisan shall become payable on or before the 5th day of the succeeding month.
(3) Where the contribution is not paid on or before the due date the Chief Executive Officer or any officer of the Board authorised by it in this behalf shall issue a notice to the defaulter showing the amount of arrears and if the amount is not paid within fifteen days of the receipt of such notice, it may be recovered in the same manner as an arrear of Land Revenue due on Land.
(4) The amount paid under sub-section (1) by an employer or dealer or producer of Handicraft products shall be for a year.
Mode of recovery of money.
13. Any amount due from the Handicraft Artisans employers dealers and producers of Handicrafts products in pursuance of the provisions of this Act, or the Scheme may if the amount is in arrears, be recovered in the same manner as an arrear of land Revenue due on land.
Priority of payment of contribution over other debts.
14. Where any employer of dealer or producer of Handicraft products liable to pay contribution under section 4 is adjudicated as insolvent or in case such employer or dealer or producer of Handicraft products is a company, an order for winding up is made the amount due from such employer or dealer and producer of Handicraft products under this Act or the Scheme shall, where the liability therefore has accrued before the order of adjudication or winding up is made, be deemed to be included among the debts which under section 64 of the Insolvency Act, 1955, (Central Act 2 of 1956) or under section 530 of the Companies Act 1956, (Central Act 1 of 1956) are to be paid in priority to all other debts in the distribution of the property of the insolvent or the assets of the company being wound up, as the case may be.
Employer not to reduce wages etc.
15. No employer or dealer or producer of Handicraft products shall by reasons only of his liability for the payment of any contribution to the Fund reduce whether directly or indirectly the wages of any Handicraft Artisan to whom the Scheme applies or the total quantum of benefits to which the Handicraft Artisans is entitled under the terms of his employment express or implied.
11 Director of the Board etc. to be Public servants.
16.
Every Director of the Board, the Chief Executive Officer and other officers and members of the staff of the Board appointed under sub-section (1) of section 9 shall be deemed to be a public servant within the meaning of section 21 of the Indian Penal Code, (Central Act 45 of 1860).
Penalty. 17. (1) Whoever, for the purpose of avoiding any payment to be made by himself under this Act, or under the Scheme or of enabling any other person to avoid such payment knowingly makes or causes to be made any false Statement or false representation, shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three months or with fine which may extend to five hundred rupees or both.
(2) Whoever contravenes or makes default in complying with any of the provisions of this Act or of the Scheme shall, if no other penalty is elsewhere provided by or under this Act such contravention or noncompliance, be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to two months or with fine which may extend to four hundred rupees or both.
(3) No Court, inferior to that of a Judicial Magistrate of the first class, shall try any offence punishable under this Act.
(4) No Court shall take cognizance of any offence punishable under this Act except on a report in writing of the facts constituting such offence made with previous sanction of Chief Executive Officer.
Offences by companies.