The Madhya Pradesh Famine Relief Fund Act, 1937

1. (1) This Act may be called the [Madhya Pradesh]3 Famine Relief fund Act, 1937. (2) It extends to and shall be in force in the whole of Madhya Pradesh]4.

2. In this Act, "Fund" means [Madhya Pradesh]3 Famine Relief Fund established under section 3.

3. The State Government shall, on the commencement of [the Madhya Pradesh Extension of Laws Act, 1958 (23 of 1958)]5 establish in and for [Madhya Pradesh]6 a Fund called "[Madhya Pradesh]6 Famine Relief Fund". The Fund shall consist of— (i) the securities of the Central Government mentioned in section 4;

(1) The State Government shall, on the commencement of the Madhya Pradesh Extension of Laws Act, 1958 (23 of 1958), invest a sum of forty lakhs of rupees in the securities of the Central Government in the name of the Secretary to the Government of Madhya Pradesh, Finance Department.

(2) Such sum as may fall to the share of this State under section 80 of the State Reorganisation Act, 1956 (37 of 1956) from and out of the investments made by the pre-reorganisation State of Madhya Pradesh in the Famine Relief Fund of that State shall also be re-invested in the manner provided for in sub-section (1) and shall until so reinvested be taken into account for purposes of determining the balance under section 7.]

The Fund shall not be expended except upon— (i) the relief of famine in [Madhya Pradesh]3; and (ii) the relief of distress caused by serious drought, flood or other natural calamities in the said State: Provided that when the Fund exceeds [Seventy five]3 lakhs of rupees, the State Government may utilize the excess for any of the following purposes, namely :— (i) to meet expenditure on works for the prevention of famine in the said State; (ii) to grant loans to cultivators either under the Land Improvement Loans Act, 1883 (XIX of 1883), or under the Agriculturists' Loans Act, 1884 (XII of 1884), or for relief purposes and to meet irrecoverable balance of such loans; (iii) in the repayment of ordinary debt.

The State Government shall from time to time invest or re-invest in securities of the Central Government all sums to the credit of the Fund which may not be immediately required for any of the purposes mentioned in section 5.

(1) The accounts of the Fund shall be made up at the end of each financial year, the securities belonging to the Fund being valued at their market value on the last day of such year.

(2) If the accounts so made up show that the balance in the Fund at the end of such year falls short of [Seventy-five]1 lakhs of rupees, the deficiency shall be made up from the revenues of the State :

Provided that if the deficiency exceeds [Seven]2 lakhs of rupees, it may be made up in annual instalments, the amount of each instalment except the last not being less than [Seven]2 lakhs of rupees.