In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,-
(a) “agriculture” includes making land fit for cultivation, cultivation of land, improvement of land including development of sources of irrigation, soil conservation and land development measures, raising and harvesting of crops, horticulture, forestry, cattle breeding, animal husbandry, dairy farming, seed farming, pisciculture, sericulture, bee-keeping, piggery, poultry farming and other activities including transportation of agricultural produce etc., as are generally carried on by agriculturists, dairy-farmers, cattle breeders, poultry farmers and other categories of persons engaged in similar activities and the words ‘agricultural purposes’ shall be construed accordingly;
(b) “financial assistance” means an assistance rendered by way of loans, advances or otherwise for the purposes of agriculture by a financial institution or Governments;
(c) “financial institution” means and includes,-
(i) a banking company as defined in clause (e) of section 5 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 (10 of 1949);
(ii) the State Bank of India constituted under the State Bank of India Act, 1955 (23 of 1955);
(iii) a subsidiary bank as defined in the State Bank of India (Subsidiary Banks) Act, 1959 (38 of 1959) ;
(iv) a corresponding new bank as specified in the First Schedule to the Banking Companies (Acquisition and Transfer of Undertakings) Act, 1970 (5 of 1970);
1. Passed in Hindi by the Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha. For Statement of Objects and Reasons see the Rajpatra, Himachal Pradesh (Extra-ordinary), dated 27 th July, 1998, pp. 2770 and 2772.
THE HIMACHAL PRADESH KISAN PASS BOOK ACT, 1996 3 1 [(v) a corresponding new bank as specified in the First Schedule to the Banking Companies (Acquisition and Transfer of Undertakings) Act, 1980 (40 of 1980)];
(vi) The Agricultural Finance Corporation Limited, a company incorporated under the Companies Act, 1956, (1 of 1956);
(vii) the Regional Rural Bank established under the Regional Rural Banks Act, 1976 (21 of 1976);
(viii) the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development established under the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development Act, 1981 (61 of 1981);
(ix) the Co-operative Bank and a Co-operative Society registered or deemed to be registered under the Himachal Pradesh Co-operative Societies Act, 1968, (3 of 1969) the object of which is to provide financial assistance as defined in clause (b) of this section to its members;
(x) the Himachal Pradesh State Co-operative Agricultural and Rural Development Bank, and the Primary Agricultural and Rural Development Bank established under the Himachal Pradesh Co-operative Agriculture and Rural Development Bank Act, 1979 (23 of 1979);
(xi) any other financial institution notified by the State Government in the Official Gazette, as a financial institution for the purposes of this Act;
(d) “Kisan” means a person having an interest in a holding whether as a land owner, tenant, mortgage, pattadar, including lessee of Panchayat and Government land, except holder of a plot allotted for residential purposes;
(e) “Kisan Pass Book” means a Pass Book containing certified extracts from record-of-rights maintained under section 32 (2)
(a) of the Himachal Pradesh Land Revenue Act, 1954 (6 of 1954) showing the nature and extent of interest of a Kisan in his agricultural holding or holdings in a revenue estate and other particulars as may be prescribed;
(f) “land” means land which is not occupied as the site of any building in a town or village and is occupied or has been let for agricultural purposes or for purposes subservient to agriculture, or for pasture, and includes the sites of buildings and other structure on such land;
(g) “prescribed” means prescribed by rules made under this Act;
1. Sub-clause (v) substituted vide H.P. Act No. 20 of 1998.
THE HIMACHAL PRADESH KISAN PASS BOOK ACT, 1996 4
(h) “public servant” means the public servant as defined in section 21 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 (45 of 1860);
(i) “Revenue Officer” means the circle Revenue Officer or any other officer appointed by the State Government for the purposes of this Act;
(j) “Sub-Registrar” shall have the same meaning as is assigned to it in the Registration Act, 1908 (16 of 1908); and
(k) the word and expressions used to denote the holder of any right, title or interest shall be deemed to include the predecessors and successors of any right, title or interest of such person; and all the words and expressions defined in the Himachal Pradesh Tenancy and Land Reforms Act, 1972 (8 of 1974), and Himachal Pradesh Land Revenue Act, 1954 (6 of 1954), but not defined in this Act shall wherever used herein be construed to have the meanings assigned to them by the said Acts.