Rule 11: Meetings, notice of meetings, list of business and quorum

Finin2min analysis — operative rule mechanics

Full notified text — Rule 11

11. Meetings, notice of meetings, list of business and quorum.–(1) (a) The Central Board or the
Corporation or the National Social Security Board or the State Building Workers‘ Welfare Board or
any Committee thereof shall, subject to sub-rule (2), meet at such place and time as may be decided
by its Chairperson.

(b) The Central Board or the Corporation shall meet at least twice in a year.

(c) The Executive Committee of the Central Board and the Standing Committee of the Corporation
shall meet at least four times in a year and the Medical Benefit Committee of the Corporation shall
meet at least twice in a year.

(d) The National Social Security Board or the State Building Workers‘ Welfare Board shall meet at
least thrice in a year.

(e) The Chairperson of the Central Board or the Corporation or the National Social Security Board or
the State Building Workers‘ Welfare Board or any committee thereof may whenever he thinks fit, and
shall within fifteen days of the receipt of a requisition in writing from not less than one half of the
members of the body concerned call for a special meeting thereof and a requisition so made shall
specify the object of the meeting proposed to be called.

(2) (a) A notice of not less than fifteen days from the date of issue, containing the date, time and place
of every ordinary meeting of Central Board or Corporation or National Social Security Board or the
State Building Workers‘ Welfare Board or any committee thereof, together with a list of business
proposed to be transacted and approved by the Chairperson concerned shall be sent to every trustee or
member of Central Board or Corporation or National Social Security Board or the State Building

Workers‘ Welfare Board or any Committee thereof, as the case may be, through e-mail or speed post
(with registration) or by special messenger, and a brief note on each item of the agenda shall be sent
along with the agenda as soon thereafter as possible.

(b) When the Chairperson concerned calls an emergency meeting of the Central Board or Corporation
or National Social Security Board or the State Building Workers‘ Welfare Board or any committee
thereof, as the case may be, for considering any matter which in his opinion is urgent, a notice giving
such reasonable time as he may consider necessary shall be deemed sufficient and shall be sent to
every trustee or member of Central Board or Corporation or National Social Security Board or the
State Building Workers‘ Welfare Board or any Committee thereof, as the case may be, through e-mail
or speed post (with registration) or by special messenger.

(c) No business other than for which the meeting of Central Board or Corporation or National Social
Security Board or the State Building Workers‘ Welfare Board or any Committee thereof has been
convened shall be considered at the meeting except with the permission of the Chairperson of the
meeting.

(3) The Chairperson or in his absence the Vice-Chairperson of Central Board or Corporation or
National Social Security Board or the State Building Workers‘ Welfare Board, as the case may be,
shall preside over the meeting and in the event of absence of both the Chairperson and the Vice-
Chairperson, the meeting shall be presided over by such trustee or member as may be nominated by
the Chairperson.

(4) No business shall be transacted at any meeting of Central Board or Corporation or National Social
Security Board or the State Building Workers‘ Welfare Board or any committee thereof unless a
quorum of –

        (a) eleven trustees in case of Central Board and four members in case of Executive
        Committee thereof; or

        (b) fifteen members in case of Corporation, five members in case of Standing Committee and
        seven members in case of Medical Benefit Committee thereof; or

        (c) ten members in case of National Social Security Board for Unorganised Workers and six
        members in case of National Social Security Board for Gig Workers and Platform Workers;
        or

        (d) four members in case of the State Building Workers‘ Welfare Board;

        is present:

          Provided that if at any meeting, no sufficient number of trustees or members, as the case
  may be, are present to form quorum, the Chairperson of the meeting shall adjourn the meeting for an
  hour and it shall thereupon be lawful to dispose of the business at such adjourned meeting
  irrespective of the number of trustees or members attending.

 (5) (a) If a trustee or member is unable to attend any meeting of the Central Board or Corporation or
National Social Security Board or the State Building Workers‘ Welfare Board or any committee
thereof, as the case may be, he may, by a written instrument, signed by him, addressed to the
Chairperson of the concerned body and explaining the reasons for his inability to attend the meeting,
appoint any representative of the organisation, which he represents on the Central Board or
Corporation or National Social Security Board or the State Building Workers‘ Welfare Board or any
committee thereof, as his substitute for attending that meeting of the Central Board or Corporation or

National Social Security Board or the State Building Workers‘ Welfare Board or any committee
thereof in his place:

       Provided that no such appointment shall be valid unless—

          (i)   such appointment has been approved by the Chairperson of the body concerned; and
          (ii) the instrument making such appointment has been received by the Chairperson of the
           body concerned before the date fixed for the meeting.

(b) A substitute validly appointed under clause (a) shall have all the rights and powers of the member
to whom he represents in relation to the meeting of the body concerned, in respect of which he is
appointed and shall receive allowances, and be under obligations as if he were a trustee or the member
appointed under the Code.

(c) A trustee or the member appointing a substitute for attending any meeting of the Central Board or
Corporation or National Social Security Board or the State Building Workers‘ Welfare Board or any
committee thereof under clause (a), shall, notwithstanding anything contained in this sub-rule,
continue to be liable for the misappropriation or misapplication of the fund by the substitute and shall
also be liable for any act of misfeasance or non-feasance committed in relation to the fund by the
substitute appointed by him.

 (6) Every question considered at a meeting of the Central Board or Corporation or National Social
Security Board or the State Building Workers‘ Welfare Board or any Committee thereof shall be
decided by a majority of the votes of the trustees or members of the body concerned present and
voting and in the event of an equality of votes the Chairperson shall exercise an additional casting
vote:

         Provided that the Chairperson may, if he thinks fit, direct that any question shall be decided
by the circulation of necessary papers to the trustees or members of the Central Board or Corporation
or National Social Security Board or the State Building Workers‘ Welfare Board or any committee
thereof and by securing their opinions in writing; and any such question shall be decided in
accordance with the opinion of the majority of the trustees or members received within the time-limit
allowed and if the opinions are equally divided, the opinion of the Chairperson shall prevail:

          Provided further that any trustee or member of the Central Board or Corporation or National
Social Security Board or the State Building Workers‘ Welfare Board or any committee thereof may
request that the question referred to the trustees or members of the concerned body, as the case may
be, for written opinion be considered at a meeting of the Central Board or Corporation or National
Social Security Board or the State Building Workers‘ Welfare Board or any committee thereof and
thereupon the Chairperson may, and if the request is made by not less than three trustees or members
of the concerned body, shall direct that it be so considered.

(7) (a) The minutes of each meeting showing inter-alia the names of the members present there, shall
be forwarded to each trustee or member of the Central Board or the Corporation or the National Social
Security Board or any committee thereof, as the case may be, and to the Central Government and in
the case of the State Building Workers‘ Welfare Board, the minutes shall be forwarded to each
member or any committee thereof, as the case may be, and to the State Government concerned, as
soon as possible and in any case not later than four weeks after the meeting.

(b) The records of the minutes of each meeting of the Central Board and the Executive Committee
thereof shall be signed by the Central Provident Fund Commissioner with the approval of the
Chairperson.

(c) The minutes of the meeting shall be confirmed with such modification considered necessary at the
next meeting.

(d) The minutes of a meeting of the Central Board or the Corporation or the National Social Security
Board or any committee thereof shall be kept in separate Books (hereinafter referred to as minute-
books) and shall be signed by the Chairperson of the meeting at which the proceedings are confirmed.

(e) A copy of the minutes so confirmed shall be forwarded to the Central Government within fifteen
days from the date of such confirmation:

         Provided that in the case of State Building Workers‘ Welfare Board, a copy of the minutes
so confirmed shall be forwarded to the State Government concerned within fifteen days from the date
of such confirmation.

(f) The minute-books shall be kept open at the principal office of the Central Board or Corporation or
National Social Security Board during office hours on working days for inspection free of charge by
any of the respective member.

(8) (a) Every non-official trustee or member of the Central Board or the Corporation or the National
Social Security Board or any committee thereof, as the case may be, shall be allowed travelling and
daily allowance for attending its meetings at the rates admissible to officers of the Central
Government holding a post in Level11 in the pay matrix.

(b) Where such trustee or member, is a Member of Parliament or a Member of State Legislature, he
shall be paid travelling allowance and daily allowance in accordance with the provisions of the Salary,
Allowances and Pension of Members of Parliament Act, 1954 (30 of 1954) or the respective
provisions of the law pertaining to the members of the concerned State Legislature, as the case may
be:

          Provided that when a Minister is appointed as Chairperson or trustee or member of the
Central Board or the Corporation or the National Social Security Board or any committee thereof and
attends a meeting, his travelling and daily allowance shall be governed by the rules applicable to him
for journeys performed on official duties and shall be paid by the authority paying his salary.

(c) No daily or travelling allowance, as the case may be, in respect of any day of journey shall be
claimed by a trustee or member of the Central Board or the Corporation or the National Social
Security Board or any committee thereof, if he has drawn or will draw allowance for the same from
his employer or as a member of the committee or any legislature or of any committee or conference
constituted or convened by Government and no travelling allowance shall be claimed, if he uses a
means of transport provided at the expense of Government or his employer.

 (d) The daily and travelling allowance shall also be payable to a member in respect of the meetings of
any sub-committee set up by the Central Board or the Corporation or the National Social Security
Board or by any Committee thereof, attended by him.

 (e) For attending a meeting of the Central Board or the Corporation or the National Social Security
Board or any committee thereof or meetings of a sub-committee set up by the Central Board or
Corporation or National Social Security Board or any Committee thereof, an official trustee or
member of the Central Government shall draw his travelling allowance from his department on a scale
admissible to him under the Central Government rules and the amounts so drawn shall, on a demand
being made therefor by the Central Government, be reimbursed by the Central Board or Corporation
or National Social Security Board or Committee thereof to that Government.

 (f) Payments shall not be made to a non-official member earlier than the last date up to which the
allowance is claimed and the travelling allowance for both the onward and return journeys will be
included in the travelling allowance bill and the payment made therefor treated as final, irrespective of
the date of completion of the journey.

Application and evidence

1. Primary statutory test — (1) (a) The Central Board or the Corporation or the National Social Security Board or the State Building Workers‘ Welfare Board or any Committee thereof shall, subject to sub-rule (2), meet at such place and time as may be decided by its Chairperson.
2. Additional operative limb — (b) The Central Board or the Corporation shall meet at least twice in a year.
3. Qualification / exception to test — Provided that if at any meeting, no sufficient number of trustees or members, as the case may be, are present to form quorum, the Chairperson of the meeting shall adjourn the meeting for an hour and it shall thereupon be lawful to dispose of the business at such adjourned meeting irrespective of the number of trustees or members attending.
4. Numerical or timing control — (b) The Central Board or the Corporation shall meet at least twice in a year.
5. Code Section mapping — 4, 5, 6, 7. Read the mapped provision together with this text rather than treating the concordance as a substitute for it.
6. Evidence file — retain facts and records proving the role/status of: Employer, Worker, Central Government, State Government, Authority / officer, Corporation / EPFO / Board.

Cross-references & prescribed forms

Worked example

Q&A — Rule 11

Primary sources