(1) A non-official member may resign by giving notice, in writing to the State Government, and on such resignation being accepted, he shall be deemed to have vacated his office.
(2) A casual vacancy in the office of a member shall be filled, up, as soon as possible, by the State Government and a member so appointed shall hold office for the unexpired portion of the term of office of the member whose space he fills.
(3) No act or proceeding of the Board shall be invalid on the ground merely of the existence of any vacancy in, or any defect in the constitution of, the Board.
7. For the purpose of advising the Board in the discharging of its functions, the Board may constitute one or more committees, of which at least one member shall be a member of the Board.
8. The fund constituted under this Act shall be utilized for the following purposes—
(a) to provide interest subvention and/or matching grants to the employers of tea gardens as soft loan which they may take for undertaking social welfare schemes viz. medical facilities, housing, primary education, potable water supply, sanitation and child care and for providing other basic amenities for the families of tea plantation employees;
(b) to provide scholarship to the children of tea garden employees for undergoing training in the technical institutes, Polytechnics and other higher courses;
(c) to provide margin money as a soft loan to incentivize the present owners or the new owners of the sick and closed tea gardens to infuse additional capital through hank loan for rejuvenation and modernization of the tea gardens.
Eyplanation.— For the purpose of this section the interest of soft loan shall be such as may be notified by the Government from time to time.
9. ( I ) Application for obtaining financial benefits from the Tea Plantation Employees' Welfare Fund shall be submitted to the Board in such form and in such manner as may be prescribed.
(2) The Board may either allow the application with such conditions as it may deem fit and proper or reject the same with reasons to be recorded in writing:
Provided that the Board shall take its decision preferably within three months of the receipt of the application.
10. The State Government shall provide necessary assistance in implementing approved course curriculum for skill development activities and facilitate the identification of vocational training providers who would be imparting employment linked training to the children of tea plantation employees. The State Government shall also provide assistance for appropriate assessment and certification on completion of training. - Disqualification and removal.
Resignation of office by members and filling up casual vacancies.
PART III] THE KOLKATA GAZETTE, EXTRAORDINARY, AUGUST 11, 2015 5 Power of Board to borrow.
The West Bengal Tea Plantation Employees' Welfare Fund Act, 2015.
(Sections 11-17.)
11. The Board may, with the previous sanction of State Government and subject to such conditions as may he specified in this behalf, borrow any sum required for the purposes of this Act.
Investment of fund.
Directions by the State Government to the Board.
Appointment of Inspectors and their powers.
12. If the fund or any portion thereof cannot be applied at an early date for carrying out any of the activities referred to in this Act, the Board shall invest the same in any of the securities specified in clauses (a) to (d) and (0 of section 20 of the Indian Trusts Act, 1882, so far as the securities are related to any State Government or Central Government.
13. The State Government may give the Board such directions as in its opinion are necessary or expedient in connection with expenditure from the fund or for carrying out any of the purposes of this Act. It shall be the duty of the Board to comply with such directions.