Constitution of the Endowment Fund

(1) There shall be established a fund to be called the Odisha Hindu Religious Endowments Administration Fund’. The fund shall be vested in and be administrated by the Commissioner of Endowments who shall be a corporation sole with perpetual succession and common seal and may sue and be sued by this corporate name. (2) The following sums shall be credited to the said fund, namely - (a) fees levied under Section 77; (b) contribution levied under Sub-Section (4); (c) fines and penalties realised in pursuance of Sections 32 and 70; (d) any grant or contribution by the State Government, any local authority or any individual whether corporate or not; (e) all sums to the credit of the fund constituted under Section 50 of the Odisha Hindu Religious Endowments Act, 1939 (Odisha Act IV of 1939); (f) any other sum which may be credited by or under any of the other provisions of this Act. (3) All fees levied under Section 71 shall be deemed to be a part of the Endowment Fund for all purposes of maintenance of its accounts under this Act. (4) Every Religious institution having an annual income exceeding Rs. 250 shall, from the income derived by it, pay to the fund annually such contribution not exceeding seven per centum of its income as may be prescribed. (5) Every Religious institution, the annual income of which for the financial year immediately preceding, as calculated for the purpose of levy of contribution under Sub-Section (4) is not less than Rs. 2,000, shall pay to the fund annually for meeting the cost of auditing its accounts such further sum not exceeding one and a half per centum of its income as the Commissioner may determine. (6) The annual payments referred to in Sub-Sections (3) and (4) shall be made, notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in any scheme settled or deemed to be settled under this Act for the Religious institution concerned. (7) The said fund shall be utilised for the payments provided for in Section 6 and for the other expenses incidental to the purposes of this Act including the cost of auditing the accounts of Religious institutions and the cost of any staff maintained for conducting the said audit.