Company : Sol Infotech Pvt. Ltd. Website : www.courtkutchehry.com MAHARASHTRA VILLAGE EMPLOYMENT FUND RULES, 1974 CONTENTS 1. Short title 2. Definitions 3. Constitution of fund 4. Operation of the Fund 5. Permanent Advance with the Secretary 6. Custody and investment of Fund 7. Utilisation of Fund 8. Types of works that can be undertaken 9. Works to be carried out departmentally 10. Formation of Village Employment Committee and sanction to works 11. Mukadam to be incharge of muster roll 12. Wage Rates 13. Wage payment 14. Pass book for wage worker 15. Technical guidance 16. Payment in excess of Rs.500 17. Secretary to maintain accounts 18. Audit of accounts MAHARASHTRA VILLAGE EMPLOYMENT FUND RULES, 1974 In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (xxxiv-a) of sub- section (2) and sub-section (1) of Section 176, read with sub- section (3) of Section 132-Bof the Bombay Village Panchayats Act, 1958 (Bom.III of 1959), and of all other powers enabling it in that behalf the Government of Maharashtra hereby makes the following rules, the same having been previously published as required by Sub-Section (4) of Section 176, namely 1. Short title :- These rules may be called the Maharashtra Village Employment Fund Rules, 1974 . 2. Definitions :- In these rules unless the context otherwise provides, (a) "Act" means the Bombay Village Panchayats Act, 1958 ; (b) "Form" means a Form appended to these rules; (c) "Fund" means the Village Employment Fund established under Sub-Section (1) of Section 132-B; (d) "Scheme" means the Village Employment Scheme; (e)[* * *] (f) "Section" means the section of the Act; (g) Words and expressions used in these rules but not defined shall have the meanings respectively assigned to them in the Act. 3. Constitution of fund :- (1) A panchayat shall immediately on receipt of the amount of the grant under Section 131 , and in any case not later than the seventh day from the date of the receipt, credit the appropriate share to the fund in accordance with Section 132B , and no sum therein shall be operated upon, unless it is first credited to the fund. (2) The Fund shall be known as the [ Village Employment Fund Deleted by G.N. of 14.7.1976 Here insert name of the village. 4. Operation of the Fund :- The Fund shall be operated upon jointly by the Sarpanch and the Secretary. 5. Permanent Advance with the Secretary :- (1) A panchayat may allow its Secretary to keep a permanent advance not exceeding Rs.150 for meeting current expenditure under these rules. (2) At the end of each month, the Sarpanch or in his absence the Upa-Sarpanch shall check the Secretary's permanent advance accounts, and verify the balance. 6. Custody and investment of Fund :- (1) A panchayat shall deposit all moneys to be credited to the Fund, other than the sum allowed to be kept with its Secretary under sub-rule (1) of rule 5 in the Government Treasury or any Co- operative Society or the Postal Savings Bank in which the Village Fund is kept. (2) The panchayat may, from time to time invest to reinvest the sums to the credit of the Fund, which may not be immediately required for the purpose for which the Fund is created, in securities of the State or Central Government or such other securities as the State Government may approve in this behalf, and vary such, investments for others of like nature, and the income resulting from such investment shall be credited to the Fund. 7. Utilisation of Fund :- [(1)] The Fund shall be utilized for the purpose of implementation of the scheme, so however, that the ratio of total wages paid to the employed workers on such schemes to materials and equipment required for executing such scheme, shall normally be in proportion of 60:40. [(2) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-rule (1) of this rule, the State Government may, by any general or special order and subject to such conditions as it may thing fit to impose, direct the Village Panchayat to utilise the fund at its disposal for the purpose of execution of works in the Village as may be specified by the State Government from time to time under the National Rural Employment Programme undertaken in pursuance of Government Resolution, Planning Department, No.EGS. 1081/65/Desk 31, dated the 1st December 1981]. 8. Types of works that can be undertaken :- In undertaking works emphasis shall be laid on meeting the felt requirements of the village community and productive works, such,as, compost pits, grazing land development, small bandharas, tree planting on public lands, village roads, approach roads, village drainage channels, fuel reserves, small roads leading to fields, digging of wells for water supply. Explanation:- The above list of works is not exhaustive but illustrative; and consequently panchayat may undertake [like] works according to local condition and needs of the village. 9. Works to be carried out departmentally :- Works under the scheme shall be carried out by the panchayats departmentally. No contractors shall be employed except for piece- rate contracts which shall be given to individual worker or to groups of workers including their societies. 10. Formation of Village Employment Committee and sanction to works :- Every panchayat may form a Committee by virtue of powers conferred on it under Section 49 for the purpose of ensuring proper execution of the scheme. The Committee shall consist of not more than five members to be appointed by the panchayat from among its members. The Committee shall for the purposes of any scheme sanction the works to be undertaken in the village and be incharge of the day to day supervision of the works undertaken to execute the scheme. Renumbered by G.N. of 28.7.1982. Ins.by G.N.of 28.7.1982 Subs. by G.N. of 14.7.1976. 11. Mukadam to be incharge of muster roll :- The muster roll in Form I shall be the record of the labour employed each day on a work and shall be maintained daily by the Mukadam or one of the workers who shall be paid the average of wages, earned by all workers employed under the scheme. [The muster roll shall be kept with the Secretary who shall be responsible for its safe custody when not in use.] 12. Wage Rates :- The Committee [formed under rule 10] shall fix the rate of wages for the works undertaken under the scheme which shall be the same as those determined by the Collector under the Employment Guarantee Scheme. Explanation:- "Employment Guarantee Scheme" means a scheme undertaken in pursuance of the provisions of Government Resolution in the General Administration Department, No. F.D./EGS/1072/P-I, dated the 28th March 1972. 13. Wage payment :- Payment of wages shall be made on weekly basis. The Secretary shall before making any payment check the muster roll for the purpose of verifying the days on which a worker has attended or has remained absent, and verify the work, actually done by the worker on the days attended by him, and then make the payment according to the rate of wages under rule 12. 14. Pass book for wage worker :- A pass book shall be issued to each worker in Form II in which the amount of wages paid to the worker as well as the date of payment shall be recorded at the time of the payment by the Secretary. 15. Technical guidance :- The Block Development Officer or such officer as may be authorised by him shall give technical guidance whenever necessary in respect of works, such as, digging of wells, construction of bandharas, roads or any other constructional works referred to in rule 8 of these rules. He shall ensure after verification from the muster roll that the workers are paid the correct wages for the out-turn of the work as a check on the quantum of work done. 16. Payment in excess of Rs.500 :- Payment of any sum in excess of five hundred rupees from out of the Fund shall be made by means of a cheque signed jointly by the Sarpanch and Secretary. 17. Secretary to maintain accounts :- The Secretary shall maintain, - (a) accounts of employment and works in Forms III to V. He shall consolidate that information in Form IV every quarter ending June, September, December and March and forward the same to the Block Development Officer of the Panchayat Samiti concerned after the expiry of each quarter. (b) accounts of the Fund in Forms VI to XII. 18. Audit of accounts :- The accounts of the Fund shall be audited annually after the close of each financial year by the auditor authorised to audit the accounts of a panchayat by or under the Act.