The Cine-workers Welfare Fund Act, 1981

(1) This Act may be called the Cine-workers WelfareFund Act, 1981. (2) It extends to the whole of India. (3) It shall come into force on such date1as the Central Government may, by notification in theOfficial Gazette, appoint.

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,-- (a) "cinematograph film" has the same meaning as in the Cinematograph Act, 1952 (37 of 1952); (b) "cine-worker" means an individual-- (i) who has been employed, directly or through any contractor or in any other manner, in or inconnection with the production of not less than five feature films to work as an artiste (includingactor, musician or dancer) or to do any work, skilled, unskilled, manual, supervisory, technical,artistic or otherwise; and 1[(ii) whose remuneration with respect to such employment in or in connection with theproduction of each of any five feature films, not being less than the monthly remuneration orlump sum remuneration stipulated prior to the commencement of the Cine-workers Welfare Fund(Amendment) Act, 2001 (56 of 2001), does not exceed such sum, whether monthly or by way oflump sum or instalments, as may be specified by the Central Government by notification in theOfficial Gazette;] (c) "feature film" means a full length cinematograph film produced wholly or partly in India witha format and a story woven around a number of characters where the plot is revealed mainly throughdialogues and not wholly through narration, animation or cartoon depiction and does not include anadvertisement film; (d) "Fund" means the Cine-workers Welfare Fund formed under section 3; (e) "prescribed" means prescribed by rules made under this Act; (f) "producer", in relation to a feature film, means the person by whom arrangements necessaryfor the making of such film (including the raising of finance and engaging cine-workers for suchfilmmaking) are undertaken.

There shall be formed a Fund, to be called the Cine-workersWelfare Fund, and there shall be credited thereto-- (a) such amounts as the Central Government may, after due appropriation made by Parliament bylaw in this behalf, provide from out of the proceeds of the duty of excise credited under section 5 ofthe Cine-workers Welfare Cess Act, 1981 (30 of 1981), after deducting therefrom the cost ofcollection as determined by the Central Government under this Act; (b) any grants made to the Fund by the Central Government; (c) any money received as donations for the purposes of this Act; (d) any income from investment of the amounts in the Fund.

(1) The Fund shall be applied by the Central Government to meet theexpenditure incurred in connection with measures and facilities which, in the opinion of that Government,are necessary or expedient to promote the welfare of cine-workers; and, in particular,-- (a) to defray the cost of such welfare measures or facilities for the benefit of cine-workers as maybe decided by the Central Government; (b) to provide assistance in the form of grants or loans to indigent cine-workers; (c) to sanction any money in aid of any scheme for the welfare of the cine-workers 1[, includingfamily welfare, family planning, education and services] which is approved by the CentralGovernment; (d) to meet the allowances, if any, of the members of the Advisory Committees and the CentralAdvisory Committee constituted under sections 5 and 6 respectively and the salaries and allowances,if any, of persons appointed under section 8; (e) any other expenditure which the Central Government may direct to be defrayed from theFund. (2) The Central Government shall have power to decide whether any particular expenditure is or isnot debitable to the Fund, and its decision shall be final

(1) The Central Government may constitute as many AdvisoryCommittees as it thinks fit to advise the Central Government on such matters arising out of theadministration of this Act as may be referred to it by that Government, including matters relating to theapplication of the Fund. (2) Each Advisory Committee shall consist of such number of persons as may be appointed to it bythe Central Government and the members shall be chosen in such manner as may be prescribed: Provided that each Advisory Committee shall include an equal number of members representing theGovernment, the cine-workers and the producers. (3) The Chairman of each Advisory Committee shall be appointed by the Central Government. (4) The Central Government shall publish in the Official Gazette the names of the members of everyAdvisory Committee.