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 minutebooks) 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.