Definitions.- In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires, -

1. (1) ‘agriculture’ includes-,
   • (i) aquaculture;
   • (ii) horticulture; (iii)the raising of crops, grass or garden produce;
   • (iv) dairy farming;
   • (v) poultry farming;
   • (vi) breeding of livestock;
   • (vii) grazing; and
   • (viii) Sericulture.
2. (2) "annual income" means the gross annual income during the period of twelve months immediately prior to the commencement of this Act;
3. (3) "Debt Relief Officer" means Assistant Commissioner of Revenue Department and includes any officer of the Revenue Department not below the rank of Tahsildar authorised by the state Government to exercise the powers of the Debt Relief Officer under this Act;
4. (4) "creditor" includes his heirs, legal representatives and assigns;
5. (5) "debt" means any liability in cash or in kind whether secured or unsecured and whether decreed or not and includes any interest due on such debt;
6. (6) "debtor" means a person who is,-
   • (i) a landless agricultural labourer;
   • (ii) a person belonging to the weaker section of the people ; or
   • (iii) a small farmer; and from whom a debt is due;
7. (7) "family" in relation to a person means such person, the wife or husband, as the case may be, of such person, and their minor children;
8. (8) "landless agricultural labourer" means a person who, on the date of commencement of this Act, does not hold any land and whose principal means of livelihood is manual labour on land;
9. (9) "small farmer" means a person who on the date of commencement of this Act, holds whether as owner, or mortgagee with possession or partly in one capacity and partly in another not more than two units of land, the annual income from which does not exceed one lakh twenty thousand rupees and who has no income from any source other than agriculture;

Explanation.- Where a person holds more than one category of land referred to in clause

(10), the extent of land held by him shall be determined according to the following formula namely:- Two hectares of unirrigated land=one and one-fourth hectares of rainfed wet land=half hectare of land having facilities for growing one irrigated corp=half hectare of land used for growing planation crops or grape or coconut or arecanut or for growing mulberry by irrigation=quarter hectare of land having perennial irrigation facilities or facilities for growing more than one irrigated crop in a year;

1. (10) “Unit” means,-
   • (i) two hectares of unirrigated land; or
   • (ii) one and one-fourth hectares of rainfed wet land; or (iii)half hectare of land having facilities for growing one irrigated crop or for growing

plantation crops or grapes or coconut or arecanut or sugarcane or used for growing mulberry by irrigation; or

1. (iv) quarter hectare of land having perennial irrigation facilities or facilities for growing more than one irrigated crop in a year. Explanation.- In this clause ‘plantation crop’ means cardamom, coffee, rubber and tea;

1. (11) "weaker sections of the people" means persons not being small farmers or landless agricultural labourers, whose annual income from all sources does not exceed one lakh twenty thousand rupees.