Company : Sol Infotech Pvt. Ltd. Website : www.courtkutchehry.com Gujarat Village Panchayats Social Justice Committee (Constitution and Functions) Rules, 1995 CONTENTS 1. Short title 2. Definitions 3. Constitution of Committee 4. The terms of the Committee 5. Functions of the Committee 6. Repeal Gujarat Village Panchayats Social Justice Committee (Constitution and Functions) Rules, 1995 Whereas the certain draft rules framing the Gujarat Village Panchayats Social Justice Committee (Constitution and Functions) Rules, 1995 were published as required by sub-section (5) of Section 274, read with sub-section (3) of Section 92 of the Gujarat Panchayats Act, 1993, (Guj. Act No. 18 of 1993), at pages 143-1 to 143-3 of Gujarat Government Gazette, Part I-A dated the 27th July, 1995 under the Government Notification, Panchayats and Rural Housing Department No. KP/118 of 1995/PRN-1094/1510-J, dated the 27th July, 1995 inviting objections and suggestions from all persons likely to be affected thereby till the 25th August, 1995; And, whereas no objections and suggestions were received from the public with respect to the said draft rules were considered by the Government; Now, therefore, in exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (1) of Section 274 of the Gujarat Panchayats Act, 1993 (Guj. Act No. 18 of 1993), read with Section 93 thereof, the Government of Gujarat hereby makes the following rules, namely: 1. Short title :- These rules may be called the Gujarat Village Panchayats Social Justice Committee (Constitution and Functions) Rules, 1995. 2. Definitions :- In these rules, unless the context otherwise requires. (a) "Act" means the Gujarat Panchayats Act, 1993; (b) "Committee" means the Social Justice Committee of a Panchayat; (c) "Panchayat" means a Village Panchayat; (d) "Section" means a section of the Act. 3. Constitution of Committee :- (1) The Social Justice Committee of a Village Panchayat shall consist of not more than five members; (2) The Panchayat shall constitute the Committee from amongst its elected members in the following manner: (i) one member belonging to the Valmiki (Safai Kamdar) Community; (ii) three members belonging to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes; (iii) one woman member from Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes: Provided that the number of members of the Panchayat elected on the seats reserved for the Valmiki Community, the Scheduled Castes or the Scheduled Tribes falls short of the number of the members to be appointed on the Committee, the Panchayat shall co-opt on the Committee such persons from amongst the persons belonging to Valmiki Community, the Scheduled Castes or the Scheduled Tribes as are qualified to be elected as members of the Panchayat: Provided further that where a woman member is not available for appointment, it shall be permissible for the Panchayat to co-opt a woman from women belongings to categories mentioned in clause (iii) above as is qualified to be elected as a member of the Panchayat. 4. The terms of the Committee :- The term of the Committee shall be co-extensive with the duration of the Panchayat. 5. Functions of the Committee :- The Committee shall perform the following functions so far as they may be essential for securing Social Justice to the weaker sections of the society including persons belonging to the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (hereinafter referred to as "the weaker sections of the society"), namely: (1) To provide socio-economic facilities including education, village sites, house sites, (loan, subsidy) drinking water and medical care to the weaker sections of the society and for that purpose to prepare plans and implement them; (2) To investigate into the cases of injustice to and discrimination against weaker sections of the society; (3) To frame, manage and implement schemes to carry out these functions; (4) To attend to all other situations and matters arising in respect of such classes; (5) To ensure systematic disposal of carcasses and to provide means for the disposal of unclaimed corpes and carcasses and to define places for the disposal of unclaimed corpses and carcasses; (6) To look after the drinking water facility of the weaker sections of the society; (7) To promote rural housing scheme for the weaker sections of the society; (8) To look after street light facility in the locality of the weaker sections of the society, if there are street lights in the village; (9) To look after bathing and washing facility for the weaker sections of the society, if such facility exists for general public; (10) To educate and to look after educational facility for the weaker sections of the society; (11) To promote social and moral welfare of the weaker sections of the society particularly, prohibition propeganda, removal of un- touchability, amelioration of the condition of such sections, the eradication of corruption and the discouragement of gambling and other anti-social activities; (12) To make arrangement for pre-primary education and child welfare activities of the weaker-sections of the society; (13) To arrrange cultural programmes for the purposes of popular education of the weaker sections of the society; (14) To report to the competent authority in the cases of grievances pertaining to the weaker sections of the society, which cannot be remedied by the Panchayat; (15) To organise, encourage and assist co-operative activities in the economic and social fields for the welfare of the weaker sections of the society. 6. Repeal :- The Gujarat Gram and Nagar Panchayats Social Justice Committee (Constitution and Functions) Rules, 1975 are hereby repealed.