Chapter I PRELIMINARY

(1) On and from the commencement of this Act, the Government shall constitute an autonomous Board namely Mizo Language Development Board. (2) The Secretary to the Government of Mizoram, School Education Department or such other authority as the Government may, by notification, empower shall be the controlling authority of the Board. (3) The Board shall be a body corporate with perpetual succession and a common seal and shall have the power to acquire and hold any property, to enter into contract and to all other things necessary for the purpose of carrying out its duties and functions and shall, by the said corporate name, sue and be sued.

(1) The Board shall consist of the following members:- (a) The Chairman of the Board. (b) The Secretary of the Board. (c) The Chairman, Mizoram Board of School Education... Ex-officio. (d) The Director, Art & Culture..... Ex-officio. (e) The Director, SCERT..... Ex-officio. (f) Two members from the Mizo Academy of Letters. (g) Two members from the Mizo Writers Association. (h) One representative of Mizoram University. (i) Two eminent persons. (2) The Board shall have power to co-opt not more than two members from amongst distinguished educationists. (3) The Board so constituted shall function as the Governing Body of the Board.

(1) The term and tenure of office of the Chairman and all the nominated members shall be three years from the date of publication of the Notification: Provided that the Government may, by notification, extend the term of office of all such members by a period not exceeding one year. (2) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-section (1), the term of office of out-going members shall be deemed to have been extended up to the date on which the newly nominated members are notified by the Government.

(1) A member of the Board, other than ex-officio members, may resign his/her seat by giving notice to the Chairman in writing, and such member shall be deemed to have vacated his seat from the date of acceptance of his resignation by the Chairman. (2) Any nominated or co-opted member who remains absent for three consecutive meetings of the Board without permission of the Board, shall be deemed to have vacated his seat from the Board and the Government shall have the right to nominate a member to fill up such vacancy. (3) In the event of casual vacancy occurring by resignation, removal, death or disqualification of members, such vacancy shall be filled by nomination or co-option, as the case may be, in the manner provided in section 4; and such member shall hold office for the unexpired portion of the term of office of the member in whose place he or she is nominated or co-opted.

(1) The Board shall meet at least once in a year. (2) The Secretary, at the instance of the Chairman, may at any time call regular or special meeting of the Board. (3) The Secretary, with the consent of the Chairman upon the requisition by not less than one-third of the members of the Board excluding the ex-officio members, shall call a special meeting of the Board within 10 days from the date of the receipt of such requisition.

Seven members of the Board present at the Meeting shall form a quorum of the Board meeting.

The Board shall have the following powers and functions: (a) to work as an authority on the preservation, development and enrichment of Mizo Language; (b) to publish books, journals and news letters on itself or through its agency; (c) to award outstanding works on poetry, drama, novel and other creative works; (d) to appoint experts, on payment of honorarium, to examine and comment upon a work assigned to them for the purpose and reason the Board may like to identify or notify; (e) to hold festival of letters and music, to sponsor and organize seminars, symposium, debate, translation works on its own or through an agency or on joint basis at the headquarters or at other places where the Board deems it suitable and beneficial; (f) to appoint and depute man of letters, prospective writers or a study team in and outside the country for a specific (or definite) purpose and time which the Board may deem fit; (g) to sponsor project works like standardizing the sound system of the Mizo language by assigning alphabet to a particular sound or modifying the orthographic system aided by tonal marks, to modify and reform mode of writing and punctuation; (h) to undertake research works helpful for the growth and development of Mizo language, literature and culture by producing Mizo encyclopedia, standard dictionary, descriptive grammar of Mizo tongue with scientific description of the language and such other related works; (i) to establish a specialized library of language and literature equipped with modern technique of audio and visual media for recording sound system and the movement of lips and tongue and such other necessary works; (j) to assist needy writers on its own or through an appropriate agency in fulfillment of the objectives of the Board; (k) to set up different committees or sub-committees and cells for publication, research and documentation, grammar and codifying, copyright and censorship, translation etc.