CHAPTER-IX

Budget and Market Committee Fund

 

Preparation and sanction of budget

(1) Every Market Committee shall prepare and pass the budget of its income and expenditure for the ensuing year in prescribed form and shall submit it to the Director/Member Secretary for sanction before the prescribed date every year.  The Director or Member Secretary shall sanction the budget with or without modification within two months from the date of receipt thereof.  If the budget is not returned by the Director/Member Secretary within two months, it shall be presumed to have been sanctioned.  

 

(2)The market committee may sanction and cause to undertake execution of construction works out of its fund other than the permanent fund referred to in sub-section (6) of this section on the basis of the plans and designs approved by the market committee, in such manner as may be prescribed by the Board.

 

 

(3) No expenditure shall be incurred by a market committee on any item if there is no provision in the sanctioned budget thereof unless it can be met by re-appropriation from saving under any other head. The sanction for re-appropriation may be obtained from the Director or Member Secretary; however, in case of  re-appropriation from minor heads under one major head, sanction for re-appropriation will not be required,  

 

(4) A market committee  may, at any time  during the year for which any budget has been sanctioned, cause a revised or supplementary budget to be passed and sanction in the same manner as if it were an original budget.  

 

(5) The market committee shall make provision in its budget for crediting the amount into the permanent fund at the rate of twenty percent of its gross receipt comprising of license fee and market fee and to the pension fund as prescribed from time to time by the Director/Member Secretary.  No expenditure from the permanent fund shall be incurred except with the prior approval or as per direction given by the Director or Member Secretary.  No expenditure from this fund or from the amount as provided under sub-section (2) of section 58 shall be proposed in the budget referred to in sub-section (1).  

 

(6) The Director/Member Secretary of the Board while according sanction for construction work may at his discretion, direct that the execution of the works shall be entrusted to the Public Works Department of the State Government or Marketing Board or any other agency authorized by the Board for this purpose.  

Market Committee Fund

(1) Save as provided in sub-section (2) all moneys received by a market committee shall be paid into a fund to be called the “Market Committee Fund” and all expenditure incurred by the market committee under or for the purposes of this Act shall be defrayed out of the said fund.  Any surplus remaining with the market committee after such expenditure has been met, shall be invested in such manner as may be prescribed.  

 

(2) Any money received by the market committee by way of  arbitration fee or as security for costs in arbitration proceedings relating to disputes or any money received by the committee by  way of security deposit, contribution to provident fund or for payment in respect of any notified agricultural produce, or  charges payable to weigh men and other functionaries and such other money  received by the Market committee may be provided in the rules or bye-laws shall not form part of Market Committee Fund and shall be kept in such manner as may be prescribed.  

 

(3)  Save as otherwise provided in this Act, the amount to the credit of the Market Committee Fund and also other money received by the Market Committee shall be kept in a scheduled cooperative bank or in a nationalized bank or in a post office saving bank or in any other mode with the approval of the Director or Member Secretary.  

Application of Market Committee Fund

Subject to the provisions of section 58 the  Market Committee Fund may be expended for the following purposes only, namely:

(i) the  acquisition of a site or sites for the market;

(ii) establishment, maintenance and improvement of market yard;

(iii) the  construction and repairs of building necessary for the  purpose of the market yard and for convenience or safety of the persons  using the market yard;

(iv) the maintenance of standard weights and measures;

(v) The maintenance of establishment charges including payment and contribution towards provident fund, pension and gratuity of the officers and servants employed by a market committee.

(vi) loans and advance to the employment of the market committee;

(vii)  the payment of interest on the loans that may be raised for the purpose of the market and provisions of sinking fund in respect of such loans;

(viii) the collection and dissemination of information relating to crop statistics and marketing of agricultural produce;

(ix) expenses incurred in auditing the account of the market committee;

(x) payment   of honorarium and traveling allowance of Chairman and other members of the market committee and  sitting fees payable to members for attending meetings;

(xi) contributions to State Agricultural Marketing Board as  prescribed;

(xii) contributions to any scheme for development of agricultural  marketing including transport;

(xiii) to provide facilities like grading, standardization and  quality certification services and communication  to agriculturist in the market area;

 (xiv) to provide for development of agricultural produce in the market area;

(xv) incurring of all expenses on research, extension and training in marketing of agricultural produce;

(xvi) prevention, in conjunction with other agencies, State, Central and others of distress sale  of  agricultural produce;

(xvii) fostering cooperative marketing and assisting  cooperative  marketing societies in the procurement and  organization of profitable disposal of produce particularly the produce belonging to   small and marginal farmers;

(xviii)  to create and promote on its own or through public-private partnership infrastructure of post harvest handling of agricultural  produce, cold storages, pre-cooling facilities pack houses and all such infrastructure to develop modern market  systems; and

(xix) Any other purpose connected with the marketing of agricultural produce under this Act whereon the expenditure of the Market Committee Fund is in the public interest subject to the prior sanction of the Director/Member Secretary.