Bye-law

Bye-law of Grassroute as approved on 1st August 2021
  1. The name of the society : Grassroute
  2. Office Address : VII / 333C, SK. Towers,
    Opposite Panchayat Office,
    Nayrambalam – 682509
  3. Operational jurisdiction : Across the state of Kerala.
  4. Objectives
    1. Raise awareness and assist the general public on issues such as environmental protection, river basin conservation and protection of inland water bodies, including streams and ponds, from the perspective of sustainability. Engage in activities for it.
    2. Action against environmental pollution. Raising public awareness against the obstruction of water flow, especially due to inadvertent dumping of plastic waste in water bodies.
    3. Build a bio-fence by planting mangrove saplings and other suitable tree saplings and plants along the coast. Promote, raise awareness and come up with sustainable solutions to sea attacks.
    4. Create an ecosystem / green habitat by planting mangroves and other suitable tree saplings and plants along the shores, outlying areas and where possible.
    5. Mark the coasts of Kerala and other possible places with the help of free mapping software called OpenStreetMap.
    6. Conduct and coordinate relief efforts in areas affected by natural disasters.
    7. Work for the prosperity, health and well-being of the people in the field of work
    8. Foster equality and brotherhood among members
    9. Organize discussion classes and seminars on environmental issues
    10. Promote blood donation, eye donation and organ donation.
    11. Collaborate with Private / Public Sector / Government Inst
  5. Membership
    1. Citizens over the age of 18 residing within the scope of the group can join the group.
    2. Membership must be free from discrimination based on religion, gender, colour, caste or party affiliation.
    3. Regular members are required to pay an entry fee of ₹ 100 plus a subscription fee of ₹ 100 per year.
    4. 2500 must be paid together to become a lifetime member. It does not have an annual subscription.
    5. Members are required to sign the membership register with their name, address, other details and date of joining.
    6. The Governing Council alone has the power to consider and decide on membership applications.
    7. Anyone who wants to be a member should be introduced by any member of the group.
    8. Anyone who has not subscribed for more than three consecutive years will not be eligible to vote or remain a member. The member can be removed from the membership by giving notice.
    9. The Board shall have the power to exclude from the membership those who act contrary to the rules of the Group, defame the reputation of the Group and face serious criminal proceedings.
    10. The member has the full freedom and right to resign anytime.
  6. General Body
    1. A meeting convened by giving notice to the members named in the membership register of the group is called a general assembly.
    2. Sovereignty over all matters relating to the Society shall be vested in the General Assembly. The decision of the General Assembly shall be final and shall be complied with by all members.
    3. All members who have no dues in annual subscription shall have the right to vote in the General Assembly.
    4. The quorum of the General Assembly shall be one-third of the existing members. If the quorum is not met for any reason, the General Assembly may be convened on a convenient day within the next 15 days. There will be short notice to this General Assembly. The quorum will not apply to such General Assembly.
    5. The representative appointed by the member may attend the public meeting as a proxy. The proxy does not have the right to vote.
    6. Annual General Assembly
      1. At the Annual General Assembly, new Board Members and an Internal Auditor shall be elected to audit the accounts.
      2. The activity report, revenue and expenditure statement, balance sheet etc. should be presented and passed by the Secretary at the Annual General Meeting.
    7. Extraordinary General Assembly
      1. If not less than 25 per cent of the members request in writing, the Secretary shall convene an Extraordinary General Assembly. The notice must be given to all members 7 days before the General Assembly, along with the agenda. Only agenda items should be discussed at the Extraordinary General Assembly. In the absence of the Secretary, the President may convene a General Assembly in consultation with the Board.
    8. Urgent General Assembly
      1. The Secretary may convene an Urgent General Assembly in case of any emergency. A maximum of 2 days’ urgent notice is sufficient for this.
  7. Notices
    1. All notices and notices will be given in the form of text or voice messages through digital media such as Telegram, WhatsApp, Facebook, SMS and Phone.
    2. Notices will be sent by post or in writing on paper only for matters for which the document is required by law.
  8. Governing Council
    1. The President, Vice President, Secretary, Joint Secretary, Treasurer and four committee members elected by the General Assembly shall be the official governing council of the society.
    2. To be elected as a member of the Council, he/she must be an active member of the society, who has completed at least two years of membership.
    3. The Governing Council meets once a month.
    4. The quorum of the governing body should be more than half of the total board members.
    5. Members who do not attend three consecutive board meetings without a valid reason can be removed from the board.
    6. The vacancy in the Governing Council should be filled up at a later General Assembly.
    7. The term of the governing body will be two years.
    8. No one can remain on the board for more than 4 consecutive (twice) years in the same position.
  9. Powers and Duties of the Governing Council
    1. The Governing Council is governed by a bylaw, subject to the decisions of the General Assembly.
    2. It is the responsibility of the Governing Council to find a source of income for the society and to establish and maintain the necessary movable and immovable property.3
    3. The Governing Council is responsible for adding members to the team.
    4. It is the responsibility of the Governing Council to collect the subscriptions from the members in an orderly manner and to keep the revenue and expenditure figures in order.
    5. The Governing Council will be responsible for the periodic submission of documents to be produced before the Registrar of Societies.
  10. President
    1. The president should have supervision and control over the activities of the Society.
    2. The President shall preside over General Assembly and Governing Council meetings and sign the proceedings.
    3. The President can cast a casting vote if the votes are equal at the time of voting.
  11. Vice President
    1. The role of the Vice President is to assist the President in administrative matters.
    2. In the absence of the President, the Vice President shall perform his duties. But the Vice President is not allowed to sign important documents.
  12. Secretary
    1. The Secretary is responsible for carrying out the day-to-day affairs of the Society as directed by the Governing Council.
    2. The Secretary shall convene General Assembly and Governing Council meetings promptly.
    3. The Secretary shall keep a record of all the records required by the Society, the minutes of General Assembly and Governing Council meetings, and keep all records of the Society.
    4. The secretary is responsible for taking legal action on behalf of the Society.
    5. The Secretary will be responsible for implementing the decisions of the Governing Council.
  13. Joint Secretary
    1. The Joint Secretary has to assist the Secretary in administrative matters and to carry out his duties in the absence of the Secretary.
  14. Treasurer
    1. It is the treasurer’s responsibility to collect the Society’s subscriptions and other types of receipts.
    2. The Treasurer will be responsible for all cash transactions
    3. The treasurer is also responsible for keeping accurate records of the group’s income and expenditure, signing official receipts, and keeping passbooks and chequebooks.
    4. The Treasurer can keep up to ₹10,000 for emergencies.
  15. Auditor
    1. The General Assembly shall elect an Auditor who is not a member of the Governing Council to audit the accounts of the Group.
    2. The Auditor shall review the revenue and expenditure before the Annual General Assembly and submit it to the Secretary for presentation at the General Assembly.
  16. Records to keep in the group
    1. Certificate of Registration
    2. Rules
    3. Book of Minutes
    4. Membership register in which the name, address and employment of the members and the date of joining are recorded
    5. Budget and balance sheet for each year signed by the then 3 Governing Council Members
    6. Books that keep accurate records of the Society’s assets and liabilities
    7. Account books that record all the income and expenses of the Society and the items in which those income and expenses come together.
    8. Receipt books
    9. Activity reports
    10. Other records required for the Society
  17. Assets of the Society
    1. The movable and immovable property belonging to the Society is temporarily reserved to the Governing Council for the time being.
    2. Property purchased for the Society must be purchased in the joint names of the then president, secretary and treasurer.
    3. The assets of the Society should not be distributed among the members for any reason.
  18. Working capital
    1. Funds for the Society’s activities can be raised through membership fees, subscriptions, donations, and assistance from the government and other institutions.
    2. In addition to the above, the Governing Council will have complete freedom to formulate, plan and implement various methods for raising funds.
    3. The funds of the Society should be deposited in the name of the Society in a recognized (co-operative/scheduled / nationalized) bank. The fund will be managed by the then President, Secretary and Treasurer.
    4. Subject to the decisions of the General Assembly, the funds can be used to cover the expenses incurred in implementing the objectives of the Society.
    5. The members of Governing Council are responsible for maintaining accurate records of funds disbursed from working capital.
    6. The operating funds of the group should not be distributed among the members for any reason.
    7. The funds of the Society will be used only for the completion of any objective of the Society’s plan.
  19. Submission of Annual Returns
    1. Within 14 days of the Annual General Assembly of the Society, the list of board members for the new year and a duplicate copy of the revenue and expenditure statement and balance sheet passed by the General Assembly must be attested by three Governing Council members and submitted to the Registrar of Societies.
  20. Amendment of the by-law
    1. If the Board decides to amend the by-law of the Society, the resolution shall be communicated to the members in writing or in print or through digital media and a General Assembly shall be convened with 10 days’ notice for its deliberation. This resolution can be passed by a three-fifths vote of the members present at the second special General Assembly convened by the Board at one-month intervals after it has been approved by the first General Assembly by three-fifths of the members. A copy of the Amended by-law must be submitted to the Registrar of Societies within 14 days from the date of the General Assembly by at least one-third of the members of the Governing Council certifying that it is a duplicate.
  21. Dismissal of the Society
    1. If three-quarters of the members of the group demand the dissolution of the group, the remaining assets of the group after payment of all liabilities under The 12th Travancore-Cochin Literary, Scientific and Charitable Societies Registration Act, 1955 should be transferred to another registered Society or government of a similar nature. Under any circumstances, it should NOT be distributed among the members.
  22. All the terms and conditions of The 12th Travancore-Cochin Literary, Scientific and Charitable Societies Registration Act, 1955 will apply to this Society. Attest to the fact that it is a duplicate of the bylaw which was unanimously adopted at the General Assembly of the Society held on the 1st of August, 2021.