RULES AND BYELAWS

1. Membership

Scientists engaged in the study and application of the science of human and animal nutrition are eligible to be members of the Society. Any person with a basic degree in science and arts can become a member of the Society. A Credentials Committee consisting of the Office-Bearers of the NSI will screen and examine applications for membership and recommend for admission to the Society.

2. Membership fee

The membership fee shall be as follows

Annual Subscription for Ordinary Members	Rs. 1000-00
Annual Subscription for student members	Rs. 300-00
Life membership fee	Rs. 5,000-00
Annual subscription for foreign members US	$ 100-00
Life membership fee for foreign members US	$ 300-00

Any member whose subscription has been in default for two consecutive years will forfeit his/her membership. Such members may, however, re-enrol themselves on payment of three years subscription (current year and arrears for the previous two years). Membership will be deemed to have been renewed only from the current year.

The financial year (from April to March) will be followed for thecollection of the membership fee.

Enhancement or changes in the membership fee may be made on the recommendations of the Executive Committee and approval of the Annual General Body from time to time.

3. General Body and Its Functions

• To elect the Managing Committee (Office-Bearers)
• To approve the expenditure statement of previous year and passthe budget for the coming year.
• To approve the report of the activities of the Society.
• The General Body shall meet in the last quarter of every year.
• The quorum for the general body shall be 30 members.

4. Executive Body

(a) There will be an Executive Committee consisting of not more than 26 members to manage the working of the Society. This shall include the following Office-Bearers :

• President
• Two Vice-Presidents, one of whom should be a resident of Hyderabad where the headquarters of the Society is located.
• Secretary
• Joint Secretary Either the Secretary or Joint Secretary should be from Hyderabad.
• Treasurer.

(b) The Founder-President of the Society shall be a permanent exofficio member of the Executive Committee.

(c) Since the Headquarters of the Society is located at the National Institute of Nutrition, the Director of the Institute shall be an ExOfficio Member of the Executive Committee.

(d) Persons holding the highest positions in the International Organizations like IUNS may also be appointed as Ex-Officio Members of the Executive Committee.

(e) The Executive Committee including the President, VicePresidents, Secretary, Joint Secretary and Treasurer will be elected once in two years by a general body meeting of the members of the Society convened for this purpose. The Immediate Past-President shall continue to be a member of the Executive Committee till such time that the successor President assumes his office.

(f) The out-going Executive Committee will consider the nominations received for the new Executive Committee and submit the final nominations to the General Body for election at the Annual Meeting.

(g) The President is empowered to nominate three members to the Executive Committee, when needed.

(h) The President shall call for and preside over the Executive Committee and General Body Meetings. The Secretary will maintain the minutes of the meeting and organise the activities of the Society in consultation with the President.

(g) The quorum for the Executive Committee meeting shall be four members of the Executive Committee.

(h) The Convenors of different local chapters will be appointed by the Executive Committee. The term of Convenors shall be for two years. They will be eligible for reappointment.

(i) All the office-bearers of the Executive Body are eligible for reelection to the same post consequently only for one more term. However, re-election to the same post may be sought after a minimum lapse of one term for another term only. The President is eligible for reelection only for one more term.

5. In the absence of the President at a meeting officially called by the President, one of the Vice-Presidents will conduct the meeting. In the absence of the President and the Vice-Presidents, one of the Committee members may be elected to conduct that meeting.

6. The President in consultation with the Secretary shall decide on the date and place of the General Body and Executive Committee meetings and agenda of business for discussion at such meetings. Members should communicate their suggestions to the Secretary.

7. Proposals for consideration of the General Body shall be communicated (3 months) in advance to the Secretary/Joint Secretary who shall, after consulting the Executive Body, place them before the General Body. The General Body may accept such proposals by majority. Every member shall have one vote and in case of a tie, the President shall have a second casting vote.

8. In the event of the resignation or death of any member of the Executive Committee, another member may be co-opted by the Executive Committee to fill the vacancy. Such a co-opted member will hold office till the next General Body Meeting. His continuation as amember of the Executive Committee shall be subject to his election at such a meeting.

9. The Executive Committee shall have the powers to collect, invest and expend the funds on behalf of the Society. The Executive Committee can authorise two of its members, one of whom will be the Treasurer, to open, operate and deal with bank accounts on behalf of the Society. The funds shall be spent only for the attainment of the objectives of the Society, and no portion thereof shall be paid or transferred directly or indirectly to any of its members through any means. The Secretary or in his/her absence, the Joint Secretary will have the power to spend funds upto Rs.5,000/- (if necessary upto Rs.10,000/-) at any one time, on behalf of the Society.

10. The State Bank of India, Secunderabad and State Bank of Hyderabad, Lallaguda Branch, shall be the bankers for the Society.

11. Auditor

The Treasurer shall cause proper books of accounts to be kept with respect to :

• All sums of money received and expended by the Society;
• All sales and purchases of goods by the Society, and
• The assets and liabilities of the Society.

The books of accounts shall be kept at the Society office and shall be open to the inspection of the members of the Executive Committee. Chartered Accountants appointed by the Executive Committee shall audit the accounts of the Society every year.

12. The amendments of the rules and bye-laws of the Society, if any, shall be placed before the General Body after the consideration of the Executive Body and shall be adopted only after approval by two-thirds of the members present in the General Body Meeting

13. Election of the Executive Committee

The President, the Vice-Presidents (First Vice-President and Second Vice-President), Secretary, Joint Secretary, Treasurer and 13 Executive Committee Members shall be elected by the General Body once in two years. The procedure for conducting the elections shall be as follows :

• The Secretary, in consultation with the President, shall announce the schedule for elections. The call for nominations shall be made about 5 months before the General Body Meeting is scheduled to conduct elections.
• The last date for receiving nominations shall be 3 months before the General Body is scheduled to conduct elections. The last date for withdrawal of nominations shall be 2 months before the General Body is scheduled to conduct elections.
• The nomination forms bearing the name of the nominee and the post being nominated for, duly proposed and seconded by eligible members of the Society along with the consent letter of the nominee indicating his/her willingness to accept the office, if elected, shall be received by the Secretary.
• Any ordinary or life member of the Society is eligible to contest for the election, to propose or second a nomination. However, for being nominated as well as to propose/second, the member should have been on the rolls of the Society at least for three years prior to the year of election and should have no arrears of subscription including that for the current year.
• No member of the Society is eligible to file nomination for more than one post in the Executive Committee or to propose or to second more than one nominee.
• Scrutiny of the nominations shall be done by the Secretary in consultation with the Executive Committee.
• Election, if necessary, shall be conducted during the General Body Meeting.
• The President of the General Body Meeting shall conduct the election during the General Body Meeting.
• Election shall be by secret ballot. All members (Life or Ordinary) present at the General Body Meeting shall be entitled to vote, provided that the member is on rolls for at least one year and has no arrears of subscription including that for the current year.
• The President shall declare the results of the election at the General Body Meeting.

14. If any member of the Society shall wilfully disobey rules or orders of the Society or shall commit wilful breach of order at any of the meetings or having unwittingly committed, shall persist in any disobedience or breach of order after being admonished by the President, or works against the interests of the Society or if, for any other reason, it shall appear to the Society that the member should not continue as a member, he/she shall be liable to be removed from the membership of the Society. Whenever there shall appear cause as aforesaid for disqualification/removal of a member from the Society, the Executive Body, after due deliberation, shall propose it to a ballot at any general body meeting. Such a member will be deemed to be removed from the membership of the Society by a simple majority.

15. In case the Society has to be wound up, the property and funds of the Society that will remain after full satisfaction of the liabilities of the Society, will be transferred or paid to some other institution with similar aims and objectives.

16. Reputed nutrition scientists from other countries can be honorary or corresponding members of the Society. Their names will be proposed to the General Body by the Executive Committee for ratification, before admission.

17. The Society is affiliated to the International Union of Nutritional Sciences (IUNS) through the Indian National Science Academy (INSA) which is the Adhering Body to IUNS under Category II. The Society is a member of the Federation of Asian Nutrition Scientists, which is also affiliated to the IUNS.