The name of the Association shall be MERCHANT NAVY OFFICERS WELFARE ASSOCIATION (VISAKHAPATNAM)

The address of the registered office of the Association is 4-45-10/11, Flat 501, Aarvee Arcade, Lawsons Bay Colony, Visakhapatnam 530017.

The Society was formed in 1995 & registered on 3^rd April 2014.

The Association is within the jurisdiction of the Registrar of Societies, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, and the bylaws are available for viewing on the Association website.

The year for all purposes shall commence on the 1st of April of any year and end with the 31st day of March of the succeeding year. The business hours of the Association shall be between 10:00 and 17:00 PM on all working days except Sundays and government holidays.

The objectives of the Association are those as mentioned in the memorandum of Association as follows:

1. To promote social interaction among merchant navy officers serving at sea or ashore who are based at Visakhapatnam and who are members of the Association.

2. To promote a spirit of friendliness amongst the members through participative cultural and social activities.

3. To provide assistance of any nature to the members and their families as and when required.

4. To provide career guidance to members.

5. To hold meetings and seminars on matters of natural benefit to members.

6. To facilitate exchange of information and ideas relating to the shipping industry.

7. To offer recreational facilities to the members.

8. To maintain and improve the status and dignity of the marine profession.

9. To envisage and implement any type of social uplift programs beneficial to the public in and around Visakhapatnam.

10. To coordinate with any organisation having similar fundamental objectives and outlook.

11. To carry out activities of a charitable nature.

12. To publish bulletins and newsletters. 

13. To carry out tasks necessary to achieve the above objectives.

The activities of the Association shall include anything necessary in pursuance of its objectives as stated above including the holding of meetings, seminars, and publication of bulletins and newsletters as may be decided by the committee from time-to-time to fulfil the objectives of the Association.

The Secretary of the Association shall be the person empowered to give direction on behalf of the Association.

ENROLMENT OF MEMBERS

1. Membership shall be open to all merchant navy officers holding certificates of competency and to electrical/radio officers and pursers/catering officers. There shall be no age limit for eligibility to membership.

2. Members are eligible to get identity cards.

3. The annual subscription fee shall be. ₹2000. This fee shall be paid at the time of enrolment and subsequently before the 31st of March every year.

4. A facility of life membership shall also be available and the fee for this shall be ₹9500. The life membership fee shall be enhanced every two years.

TERMINATION OF MEMBERSHIP

1. Membership to the Association shall be terminated if,

2. The member dies, is declared insolvent or guilty of criminal misconduct or

3. He resigns in writing to the Association, or

4. He fails to pay any dues payable by him to the Association within 90 days of serving upon him a notice demanding payment thereof, or

5. His membership has been terminated by the Executive Committee as provided for by these byelaws.

THE GENERAL BODY

1. The ultimate authority in all matters relating to the administration of the Association shall vest with the General Body of its members provided that nothing contained in this clause shall affect the exercise by the Executive Committee or any officer of the Committee of any power conferred on such committee. Among other matters, the following shall be dealt with by the General Body.

2. Approval of the annual budget of income and expenditure with reference to the proposed programme of activities of the Association prepared by the Executive Committee for the ensuring year.

3. Election and removal of members of the Executive Committee. Consideration of the annual report.

4. Consideration of the annual report received from an auditor.

5. Amendment or repeal of any existing bylaw or the enactment of a new bylaw.

6. Consideration of any complaint which any member may bring against the Executive Committee.

GENERAL BODY MEETING

1. The Executive Committee shall convene as required, a General Body meeting of the Association at least once a year by giving 21 days prior notice to the members.

2. The Executive Committee may at any time convene a Special General Body meeting to consider any specific subject of importance. The first meeting should be convened before 30^th September to approve the accounts of the previous year.

3. The Executive Committee shall convene a special meeting within one month from the date of requisition in this behalf from not less than 12 members of the Association, provided the requisition is in writing, specifying the subjects that have to be placed for consideration in the Special General Body meeting.

4. It shall be the responsibility of every member to attend the General Body meeting and participate in its proceedings, as the decisions taken at such meetings by the majority vote are binding all on all members.

5. Any amendments to the bylaws will be done at annual General Body meeting once every 2 years.

6. The quorum for General Body meeting shall be 15.

NOTICE OF GENERAL BODY MEETING.

1. Not less than 21 days’ notice shall be given to members for convening a General Body meeting.

2. Notice of the General Body meeting shall be given to members in one of two modes,

   1. by sending an email notice

   2. by sending a SMS notice.

3. The proceeding of the General Body meeting shall not be invalidated merely by reason or irregularity in the service of the notice.

4. In case of amendment of these bylaws, notice shall be sent to all members in due time by email. Such notice shall give the members a reasonably clear idea of the amendment proposed.

5. The receipts and expenditure account and the balance sheet, together with the auditor’s report duly signed by the auditor, shall be placed before the General Body within six months after the expiration of the financial year to which the accounts relate. i.e. on or before 30^th September. The statement of account to be signed by the President, Secretary and Treasurer.

CONDUCT OF THE GENERAL BODY MEETING

1. The President, or in his absence, the Vice President shall preside over the General Body meeting. In the absence of all the above, the members present may elect a chairman from among themselves to preside over the meeting.

2. No member present at a General Body meeting shall have more than one vote.

3. Every question shall be decided by a majority vote of the members present and voting.

4. In the case of equality of votes, the President shall decide the fate of the issue.

5. Members are eligible for perusal of records of the Association during its office hours, free of cost.

CONSTITUTION OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

1. Subject to the bylaws and such resolutions as the General Body may from time-to-time pass, the executive management of the affairs of the Association shall vest with the Executive Committee consisting of a President, one Vice President, one Secretary, one Treasurer and eight committee members, totalling 12.

2. Any casual vacancy in the office of the elected members of the committee shall be filled by the remaining members of the Committee by vote from among the members of the Association for the unexpired portion of the period.

3. An office bearer may stand and be elected for 2 consecutive terms only.

TERM OF OFFICE OF THE MEMBERS OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

1. The term of office of the members of the Executive Committee shall be two years from 1st April to 31st March the following year, irrespective of the date of election or assumption of office.

2. Any member may at any time be removed by a resolution of the General Body passed at a special meeting convened for the purpose by majority of votes not less than 2/3rds of the members present and voting at the meeting.  No Member shall be removed unless such person has been given an opportunity for making his/her representation.

3. Any vacancy arising on account of the removal of any elected member shall be filled in the same manner as a casual vacancy.

4. Any elected member of the Executive Committee may at any time resign from office by sending a letter of resignation to the president, but such resignation shall take effect only from the date on which it is accepted by the Executive Committee.

5. Should any elected member of the Executive Committee absent himself for three consecutive meetings of the Executive Committee without any advance information, he/she shall cease to be a member of the Executive Committee.

6. The proceedings of the Executive Committee shall not be invalidated on account of any vacancy or vacancies in the Executive Committee remaining unfulfilled.

7. The services of the members of the Executive Committee shall be gratuitous.

POWERS AND DUTIES OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

1. The powers and duties of the Executive Committee shall be,

2. Powers

   1. To appoint any ad hoc committee or committees from among the members for carrying out specific functions relating to the business of the Association. The life of these committee is should not be for more than 3 months.

   2. To incur such expenditure as may be necessary for the management of the Association within the budget allotments sanctioned by the General Body for each year.

3. Duties

   1. To maintain the requisite accounts and registers.

   2. To prepare the annual report audited statement of account for the Free Press preceding year, budget the program of work for the following year and to place them before the General Body for approval.

   3. To appoint an auditor and to place the audit report before the General Body meeting of the Association.

MEETINGS OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

1. The Executive Committee shall meet once a month or as often as may be necessary to conduct the affairs of the Association.

2. Such meetings shall normally be held at the office or at a convenient public place by giving at least 7 days prior notice to the members.

3. Every question before the Executive Committee shall be decided by a majority of votes of the members present and voting if required.

4. The quorum for the meeting of the Executive Committee shall be four.

5. In case of urgency, when they may not be sufficient time to convene a meeting of the Executive Committee, the Secretary may ascertain the opinion of committee members on the telephone and act as required. However, at the next Executive Committee meeting, the matter should be regularised.

OFFICE BEARERS OF THE ASSOCIATION

1. Subject to such resolutions as the Executive Committee may from time-to-time pass, the office bearers of the Association should have the powers mentioned below.

2. The President shall have general control over all the affairs of the Association.

3. The Vice President shall exercise such powers as may be delegated from time-to-time and shall exercise all the powers of the President when the office of the president is vacant.

4. The Secretary shall be responsible for the executive administration of the Association, subject to the control of the President. He shall, in consultation with the president, call for a meeting of the Executive Committee. Should be Secretary require relief from his duties, the President shall arrange for his duties to be carried out by one or more members of the Executive Committee. The Secretary is the officer responsible for preparing and filing all returns as required to registrar concerned. The transaction of day-to-day business of the Association shall be affected by the Secretary.

5. The Treasurer shall have custody of all the properties of the Association. The Executive Committee shall frame regulations for ensuring the safety of the properties of the custody of the Treasurer.

ELECTION OF OFFICE BEARERS.

1. The General Body shall elect from its members one president, one vice-president, one Secretary and one Treasurer as office bearers, and eight members are deemed to be members of the Executive Committee.

2. Members with 2 years membership are eligible to get elected as office bearers. Those members who wish to stand for election for the post of an office bearer should have served at least one year as a member of the Executive Committee.

3. Office bearers should be a master mariner, chief engineer, chief officer or second engineer.

ACCOUNTING

1. The funds of the Association shall be deposited in any scheduled bank as may be decided upon by the Executive Committee.

2. The Treasurer and Secretary shall jointly operate the bank accounts of the Association. However, in the absence of the Secretary and/or the Treasurer, cheques shall be countersigned by the President or Vice President as third signatory.

3. All payments made by this Association shall, as far as possible, be made by crossed cheque only and two signatures shall be bound on all cheques issued.

4. 50% of the collection of life membership fees shall be added to the corpus of the Association and the other 50% can be utilised for the conduct of social events and other expenses of the Association.

5. Up to ₹5000 per annum from the Association’s annual budget can be allocated for donation to any charitable institution or NGO involved in social service that will be selected by the Executive Committee of the Association.

6. The Treasurer shall issue receipts for all amounts paid to the Association. In the absence of the Treasurer, such receipts shall be signed by any other office-bearer so authorized.