India

THE SEEDS (AMENDMENT) ACT, 1972

(No. 55 OF 1972)

(9th September, 1972)

An Act to amend the Seeds Act, 1966

Be it enacted by Parliament in the Twenty-third Year of the Republic of India as follows:-

Short title and commencement

1. (1) This Act may be called the Seeds (Amendment) Act, 1972

(2) It shall come into force on such date as the Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, appoint.

Amendment of Section 2 of 1966

2. In section 2 of the Seeds Act, 1966 (hereinafter referred to as the principal Act), in clause (11), after sub-clause (iii), the following sub-clause shall be inserted, namely:-

"(iv) jute seeds,"

Insertion of new sections 8A to 8E

3. After section 8 of the principal Act, the following sections shall be inserted, namely:-

The Central Seed Certification Board

"8A. (1) The Central Government shall, by notification in the Official Gazette, establish a Central Seed Certification Board (hereinafter referred to as the Board) to advise the Central Government and the State Governments on all matters relating to certification and to co-ordinate the functioning of the agencies established under section 8.

(2) The Board shall consist of the following members, namely:-

i.

a Chairman, to be nominated by the Central Government;

ii.

four members, to be nominated by the Central Government from out of the persons employed by the State Governments as Directors of Agriculture;

iii.

three members, to be nominated by the Central Government from out of the persons employed by the Agricultural Universities as Directors of Research;

iv.

thirteen persons, to be nominated by the Central Government to represent such interests as that Government thinks fit, of whom not less than four persons shall be representatives of seed producers or tradesmen.

3.

A member of the Board shall, unless his seat becomes vacant earlier by resignation or otherwise, be entitled to hold office for two years from the date of his nomination:

Provided that a person nominated under clause (ii) or clause (iii) of sub-section (2) shall hold office only for so long as he holds the appointment by virtue of which his nomination was made.

Other Committees

8B. The Board may appoint as many Committees as it deems fit consisting wholly of the members of the Board or wholly of other persons or partly of members of the Board and partly of other persons as it thinks fit to exercise such powers and perform such duties as may be delegated to them, subject to such conditions as it may think fit, by the Board.

Proceedings of Board or Committee not to be invalid by reason of any vacancy therein

8C. No proceeding of the Board or any Committee thereof shall become invalid merely by reason of the existence of any vacancy therein or any defect in the constitution thereof.

Procedure for Board

8D. The Board may, subject to the previous approval of the Central Government, make bye-laws for the purpose of regulating its own procedure and the procedure of any Committee thereof and the conduct of all business to be transacted by it or such Committee.

Secretary and other officers

8E. The Central Government shall-

i.

appoint a person to be the Secretary of the Board, and

ii.

provide the Board with such technical and other staff as the Central Government considers necessary."

Amendment of section 9

4.

In section 9 of the principal Act,-

(i) in sub-section (3), for the words, brackets, letter and figure "minimum limits of germination and purity specified for that seed under clause (a) of section 6", the words " prescribed standards" shall be substituted;

(ii) to sub-section (3), the following proviso shall be added, namely:-

"Provided that such standards shall not be lower than the minimum limits of germination and purity specified for that seed under clause (a) of section 6."

Amendment of section 25

1.

In section 25 of the principal Act,-

a.

in sub-section (2), after clause (f), the following clause shall be inserted, namely:-

"(ff) the standards to which seeds should conform,";

(b) in sub-section (3), for the words "in two successive sessions, and if, before the expiry of the session in which it is so laid or the session immediately following", the words "in two or more successive sessions, and if, before the expiry of the session immediately following the session or the successive sessions aforesaid" shall be substituted.