[This is the version of this document at 30 June 2017.]
1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the Urdu-speaking Union Act.
2. Interpretation
In this Act—"Council" means the Executive Council referred to in section 6;"Fund" means the General Fund established under section 9;"members" means ordinary members of the Union referred to in section 5;"Union" means the Urdu-speaking Union established under section 3.
3. Establishment of Union
(1)There is established for the purposes of this Act the Urdu-speaking Union which shall be a body corporate.(2)The Union shall have its registered office at the National Urdu Institute, Khadhafi Square, Plaine Verte, or at such other place as the Council may determine.(3)The Union may be affiliated to any organization in another country whose objectives are similar to those of the Union.(4)The Union may open branches throughout the country on a regional basis.(5)Membership of the Union shall be open to all persons who have a keen interest in the promotion of the Urdu language.
4. Objects of Union
The objects of the Union shall be to—(a)promote the Urdu language in its spoken and written forms;(b)promote friendship and understanding between the Urdu speaking peoples of the world and to engage in any educational, academic, cultural, and artistic work to further that objective;(c)provide facilities for the exchange of views affecting the interests, well-being, development, relationships and common problems of the Urdu-speaking peoples of the world;(d)promote and encourage the linguistic development among all people having an interest in Urdu with special emphasis on the cultural, artistic, economic, and social perspectives;(e)provide facilities for exchange programmes, scholarships, and social intercourse between the Union and other organizations at regional and international level;(f)promote, organise, and encourage correspondence, debates, elocution, poetry recitations (Mushaira), Ghazals, Qawwali programmes, seminars and other literary activities in Urdu amongst universities, colleges, schools, and other bodies situated either in Mauritius or any other country;(g)promote and encourage the interchange of Urdu books, pamphlets, periodicals and other information among local colleges, schools, and educational establishments overseas;(h)promote and encourage the publication, exhibition, distribution and sale of Urdu books, magazines, newspapers, and calligraphic works;(i)promote intercultural and interlinguistic understanding and harmony through exchange and participation in joint projects;(j)undertake and carry on all such work as may be deemed necessary for the attainment of the objects aforementioned and to do all such things as are incidental or conducive to the accomplishment of any or all of them.
5. Members of Union
(1)The Union shall consist of ordinary members with an interest in the development, propagation, and promotion of the Urdu language.(2)The number of members shall be unlimited, but membership will be subject to approval of the Council.(3)The Council reserves the right to dismiss any member from the Union at any time if deemed necessary.(4)Every member shall pay to the Union such admission fee as well as such monthly fee as may be determined from time to time by the Council.(5)—
6. Executive Council
(1)Subject to subsection (3), the Union shall be managed by an Executive Council elected for the purpose and composed of not less than 20 nor more than 30 members.(2)The members of the Council and the office bearers of the Council shall be elected biennially.(3)The members of the Council shall be eligible for re-election.(4)The office bearers of the Council shall be eligible for re-election.(5)The Council may remove any member or fill any vacancy arising in its membership or any office thereof.(6)One third of the members of the Council shall constitute a quorum.
7. Patron of Union
(1)The Council may appoint such suitable persons as it thinks fit as Patrons of the Union.(2)—
8. Execution of documents
(1)Every document of a financial nature issued by or on behalf of the Union shall be signed by the President, the Secretary, and the Treasurer.(2)Where the President, the Treasurer or the Secretary is absent or, for any other reason, unable to act, the Vice-President, the Deputy Treasurer, or the Assistant Secretary, as the case may be, shall act in his stead.
9. General Fund
(1)There shall be a General Fund into which shall be paid all monies accruing to the Union, including the fees, donations and contributions that may be raised from its members and its donors including grants from Government.(2)The Council may pay out of the Fund any sum which is lawfully due by the Union or any sum to promote the objects of the Union.
10. Audit
(1)The Council may appoint a qualified person as auditor of the financial affairs of the Union.(2)The auditor shall, not later than the end of March in every year, furnish to the Council audited accounts of the Union for the previous year.
11. Donations
Article 910 of the Code Civil Mauricien shall not apply to the Union.
12. Rules
(1)The Council may, for the purposes of this Act, make rules for the Union which shall be binding on the Union and the Council.(2)Rules under this section shall not be required to be—(a)otherwise approved;(b)laid before the Assembly; or(c)published in the Gazette.