3Establishment and constitution of the Council

(1) With effect from such date as the Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, appoint in this behalf, there shall be established for the purposes of this Act, a Council to be called the Jute Manufactures Development Council.

(2) The Council shall be a body corporate by the name aforesaid, having perpetual succession and a common seal, with power to acquire, hold and dispose of property, both movable and immovable, and to contract, and shall by the said name sue and be sued.

(3) The head office of the Council shall be at Calcutta in the State of West Bengal, and the Council may, with the previous approval of the Central Government, establish offices or agencies at other places in or outside India.

(4) The Council shall consist of the following members, namely:--

(a) a Chairman to be appointed by the Central Government;

(b) such number of members not exceeding eight as the Central Government may think fit to be appointed by it from among the Ministries of the Central Government dealing with--

(i) agriculture;

(ii) commerce (textiles);

(iii) finance;

(iv) industry;

(v) civil supplies;

(vi) co-operation;

(c) six members to be appointed by the Central Government by rotation in the alphabetical order to represent respectively the Governments of the States of Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Meghalaya, Orissa, Tripura and West Bengal in which jute is cultivated on a large scale:

Provided that such appointment shall be made on the recommendation of the Government of the State concerned;

(d) four members to be appointed by the Central Government to represent the producers of jute manufactures;

(e) two members to be appointed by the Central Government to represent the exporters of jute manufactures;

(f) three members to be appointed by the Central Government to represent the growers of jute;

(g) three members to be appointed by the Central Government to represent the interests of workmen employed in factories producing jute manufactures;

(h) five members to be appointed by the Central Government from amongst persons who, in the opinion of the Central Government, are experts in jute technological research, jute marketing or agricultural economics.

(5) The Council shall elect, from amongst its members, a Vice-Chairman who shall exercise such of the powers and perform such of the functions of the Chairman as may be prescribed or as may be delegated to him by the Chairman.

(6) The term of office and other conditions of service of the members and the manner of filling vacancies among, and the procedure to be followed in the discharge of their functions by, the members shall be such as may be prescribed.

(7) Any officer of the Central Government, not being a member of the Council, when deputed by that Government in this behalf, shall have the right to attend the meetings of the Council and take part in the proceedings thereof, but shall not have the right to vote.

(8) The Council may associate with itself, in such manner, subject to such conditions and for such purposes as may be prescribed, any person whose assistance or advice it may desire in complying with any of the provisions of this Act and a person so associated shall be entitled to receive such allowances or fees as may be fixed by the Central Government and shall have the right to take part in the proceedings of the Council relevant to the purpose for which he has been associated, but shall not have the right to vote.

(9) No act or proceeding of the Council or any committee appointed by it under section 5 shall be invalidated merely by reason of--

(a) any vacancy in, or any defect in the constitution of, the Council or such committee; or

(b) any defect in the appointment of a person acting as a member of the Council or such committee; or

(c) any irregularity in the procedure of the Council or such committee not affecting the merits of the case.

(10) The Council shall meet at such times and places and shall observe such rules of procedure in regard to the transaction of business at its meetings (including the quorum at meetings) as may be prescribed.