The Orissa Pension to Indigent Artists Rules, 1976

Published vide Notification Orissa Gazette Supplementary No. 42/29.10.1976

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Short title and commencement.- (1) These rules shall be called the Orissa Pension to Indigent Artists Rules, 1976.

(2) They shall come into force at once.

[2. Determination of number of pensioners. - The Department of Tourism and Culture (Culture) shall having regard to the availability of funds determine the number of pensioner under the Scheme, the number of pension shall be limited to 900 (nine hundred, for writers and artists. No further increase beyond 900 should be made without concurrence of Finance Department.]

Procedure for selection of pensioners.- (1) Immediately on the commencement of these rules the Department of Tourism, Sports and Culture shall proceed to select pensioners in accordance with Sub-rules (2) to (5).

(2) There shall be a Selection Committee under the Chairmanship of the Minister-in-charge. The Secretary, Orissa Sahitya Akademy and another person acquainted with the state of arts nominated by the Minister shall be the members. The Secretary of the Department shall be the Member-Secretary. If, however, there is a whole time Director of Tourism, Sports and Culture, the Director shall be the Member-Secretary and the Secretary of the Department shall be a member.

(3) The Committee shall consider the cases of artists who have in the past been provided with some financial assistance by Government or by any of the Akedemies of the State and prepare a list of artists eligible to the pension in accordance with Rule 4. The Committee shall also be competent to include in the list names of artists who have not received any assistance in the past but who are eligible to pension. The list shall not, however, exceed at any time the maximum number of pensioners determined in pursuance of Rule 2.

(4) The Committee may, if in its opinion it is necessary so to do, authorise the Secretary of the Department (or the Director if there is a whole time Director) to invite applications for pension from indigent artists through advertisement in newspapers. The particulars to be furnished by each applicant shall be as may be prescribed by the Committee.

(5) The list prepared by the Committee shall be submitted to Government and shall be final after receipt of their approval. Government may alter or modify the list submitted to them and such alterations and modifications shall be incorporated in the list.

Conditions of eligibility.- (1) An artist, in order to be eligible to the pension, should-

(i) be at least sixty years of age if a male and at least fifty years of age if a female :

Provided that the age-limit in either case is relaxable by a maximum of ten years if the artists has been suddenly incapacitated by an injury or a physical handicap or a serious ailment resulting in premature withdrawal from active life :

[(ii) An Artist, in order to be eligible to the pension should not be having income from whatever source, exceeding Rs. 12,000 per annum.]

(iii) not be having a son or a daughter or a wife (a husband in the case of a female artist) whose annual income is rupees three thousand and five hundred or above;

(iv) not have been convicted of any criminal offence :

Provided that the Government may, having regard to the circumstances of each case, waive this disability, if in their judgement the conviction was based on grounds other than moral turpitude;

(v) have made significant contribution to the literature, music, dance and theatre of Orissa or to painting and sculpture -

Provided that it shall be competent for the committee to consider cases of eminent contributors to the State's traditional trades based on skilled craftsmanship.

(2) The Secretary of the Department shall be competent to cause necessary enquiries to ascertain the eligibility of an artist in terms of Clauses (i) to (v) of Sub-rule (1).

[5. Quantum of pension. - The pension payable to each pensioner shall be Rs. 500 (rupees five hundred) only per month.]

Sanction of pension.- (1) On receipt of the approval of approval of Government in pursuance of Sub-rule (5) of Rule 3, the Secretary of the Department shall sanction the pension.

(2) The Secretary of the Department shall maintain a list of persons in whose favour pension has been sanctioned in a Register in Form P.I.A.-A.

(3) Each sanction shall be recorded in the Register and a copy of the sanction order shall be sent to the Accounts Officer of the [Directorate of Tourism, Sports and Culture.] The sanction order shall be in Form P.I.A.-B.

(4) The Accounts Officer of the [Directorate of Tourism, Sports and Culture] shall, on receipt of the sanction register it in the Register of Payment in Form P.I.A.-C.

(5) The pension will be payable with effect from the date mentioned in the sanction order. It shall become due for payment only on the expiry of the month to which it relates.

Procedure to be followed in the Directorate of Tourism, Sports and Culture.- (1) The pension shall be paid without any authority from the Accounts Officer by remittance to the pensioner by money order every month, the money order commission being borne by Government.

(2) No payment will be made for a month unless the money order acknowledgement has been obtained in respect of the payment for the previous month and a note to that effect recorded in the Register in Form P.I.A.-C., or till satisfactory proof is available that the pension for the previous month has been paid to the correct person.

(3) The Accounts Officer shall check the Register in Form P.I.A.-C. at least once every month and sign the Register in token of his verification. He should bring to the notice of the Director cases in which the pension has remained unpaid for two months or more. Payment of pension in such cases shall remain suspended till the pensioner informs in writing the change in his address or the Director, after necessary enquiries, orders resumption of payment, it, as a result of enquiries, it appears that the pensioner's address is different from that indicated in the sanction order, the Director shall amend the Register in Form P.I.A.-C. suitably. He should also inform the Secretary of the Department of the charge who shall make suitable corrections in the Register in Form P.I.A.-A.

Cancellation of the pension.- The pension granted to an indigent artist shall be cancelled-

(i) on his death, or

(ii) on the satisfaction of Government that the information furnished to the Committee constituted in pursuance of Sub-rule (2) of Rule 3 was either erroneous or incomplete, or

(iii) on the determination by Government that the pensioner has indulged in activities prejudicial to public interest or public order, or

(iv) on his ceasing to have the disabilities referred to in Clauses (ii) and (iii) of Rule 4.

The expenditure shall be debatable to Demand No. 15-288-Social Security and Welfare-E-Other Special Security and Welfare Programmes-a-Pension under Social Security Scheme - Pension to Indigent Artists (Voted). The Director, Cultural Affairs will be the Drawing and Disbursing Officer. The Secretary of the Department shall be the Drawing and Disbursing Officer. The Secretary of the Department shall be the Controlling Officer.
In the month of April each year the pensioner shall furnish or the Director or the Accounts Officer a life certificate in Form P.I.A.-D signed by a Member of Parliament or the State Legislature, any Gazetted Officer, a Chairman of a Municipality or Notified Area Council or a Chairman of a Panchayat Samiti. Such a certificate, even if it is strictly not in Form P.I.A.-D will be accepted if its contents serve the purpose.

Form P.I.A.-A

[See Rule 6 (2)]

Register of sanctions of Pensions to Indigent Artists

Serial No.	Name and address of artist to whom pension is sanctioned	No. and date of sanction order	Amount of pension	Date from which payable	Remarks
(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)	(6)

Form P.I.A.-B

[See Rule 5 (iii)]

Sanction Order for pension to Indigent Artists

Order No............. C. A., dated...................

Sanction of Government is hereby accorded for payment of a monthly pension of Rs. 100 (Rupees one hundred only) to Shri/Smt.................. whose address is given below :

The pension is subject to the provisions of the Orissa Pension to Indigent Artists Rules, 1976.

The pension is payable with effect from..................

Seal :

Secretary

Memo No .............../CA............. dated...........

Copies forwarded to Director, Cultural Affairs/Accounts Officer/Pensioner. The Pensioners should intimate to the Accounts Officer, Directorate of Cultural Affairs, Bhubaneswar any change in his address. He should also furnish, in April each year, a life certificate in the following form. The certificate should be signed by a Member of Parliament or the State Legislature, or any Gazetted Officer or any Chairman of a Municipality or N.A.C., or a Chairman of Panchayat Samiti.

"Certified that Shri/Smt............ now drawing pension as an Indigent Artist from the Government is alive today".

Secretary to Government

Form P.I.A.-C

[See Rule 6 (iv)]

Register of payment of pensions

Name of the pensioner...............

Address................

No. and date of pension order...............

Amount.................

Payments

Month	1976-77	1977-78	1978-79	1979-80	1980-81	1981-82
Month	M.O. No. and date	M.O. No. and date	M.O. No. and date	M.O. No. and date	M.O. No. and date	M.O. No. and date
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
January
February
March

Form P.I.A.-D

[See Rule 10]

Certified that Shri/Smt............. now drawing pension as an Indigent Artist from the Government of Orissa is alive today.

Place...............

Date................

Signature of Certifying Authority* Office Seal

* A member of Parliament or the State Legislature, any Gazetted Officer, a Chairman of a Municipality or Notified Area Council and a Chairman of a Panchayat Samiti are authorised to issue this certificate.