Chapter I PRELIMINARY

1. (1) This Act may be called the Maharashtra (Vidarbha Region) Agricultural Debtors Relief Act, 1969.
2. (2) It extends to the Vidarbha region of the State of Maharashtra.
3. (3) It shall be deemed to have come into force on the 7th day of March 1969.

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,-

1. (1) "award" means an award made under sub-section (4) of section 6 or section 7 or 23 or as confirmed or modified by the Court in appeal;
2. (2) "Code" means the Maharashtra Land Revenue Code, 1966 (Mah. XLI of 1966);
3. (3) "Court" means the Court of the Civil Judge (Senior Division), having ordinary jurisdiction in the area where the debtor ordinarily resides, and if there is no such Civil Judge, the Court of the Civil Judge (Junior Division), having such jurisdiction and includes any Court to which an application may be referred for disposal under section 11;
4. (4) "creditor" means the holder of a decree;
5. (5) "debt" means any liability payable by a debtor under or in relation to any decree;
6. (6) "debtor" means a person (including an undivided Hindu family) who is a judgment-debtor or defendant against whom all proceedings of the nature referred to in sub-section (1) of section 3 of the Madhya Pradesh Act have been stayed;
7. (7) "decree" means any decree referred to in sub-section (1) of section 3 of the Madhya Pradesh Act;
8. (8) "financing" of crops means advancing of loans for the cultivation of crops during the ploughing season, or later for ploughing, sowing, harrowing, weeding, harvesting, purchase of seeds, manure or bullocks or for such other purposes and repayable during such periods (not exceeding five years from the date on which a loan is advanced), as may be prescribed ;
9. (9) "Madhya Pradesh" Act means the Madhya Pradesh Temporary Postponement of Execution of Decrees Act, 1956 (M.P.V of 1956);
10. (10) "prescribed" means prescribed by rules ;
11. (11) "seasonal finance" means advancing of loans for preparation of land for irrigation, for constructing field channels or bunds to save land from erosion, or for removal of silt or for such other purposes and repayable during such periods, as may be prescribed ;
12. (12) words and expressions used in this Act, but not defined, shall have the meanings respectively assigned to them in the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 (V of 1908), or as the case may be, the Maharashtra Land Revenue Code, 1966 (Mah. XLI of 1966).