Constitution

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New Constitution 2018 (amended) on 6th January 2018

 

DHANKUTA SEWA SAMAJ (UK) – DSS UK

(Estd 2010) 

THE CONSTITUTION

Background

With the granting of UK settlement rights to Gurkhas after the Home Office announcement in October 2004 for post 97 Gurkhas followed by the immigration discretionary rule in May 2009 for pre ’97 retired Gurkhas who served for 4 years or more from 1948 to 1997, many retired Gurkhas have now settled in the UK. Obviously, settling in a new country is not always smooth sailing and any one of us could fall into financial and social predicament.

Bearing this in mind, retired Gurkhas and Nepalese in the UK who hail from the district of Dhankuta, decided to establish a ‘Samaj’ to ensure there was a welfare safety net to help those who may fall into such predicaments. Hence on 28 August 2010, ‘Dhankuta Sewa Samaj UK’ was formally established in the UK. The correct acronym for the ‘Samaj’ shall be DSS (UK).

  1. DSS (UK) shall be referred to as ‘Samaj’ in this document.
  2. DSS (UK) is a non-religious, non-racial and a non-political ‘Samaj’ that will not tolerate any racial, sexual or other form of discrimination or abuse in any shape or form. All members should strive to promote peace, unity, understanding and harmony for the betterment of the ‘Samaj’.

Aim

The aim of the ‘Samaj’ is in two folds:

  1.   To provide advice, guidance and welfare assistance to all those members in times of need.

2.  To preserve and maintain our heritage, traditional customs and culture.

Objectives

The objectives of the ‘Samaj’ are as follows:

  1. To establish cohesion, friendship and cooperation within the ‘Samaj’.
  2. To maintain strong link with Dhankuta Prativa Puraskaar, Nepal.
  3. To foster good relations and cooperation with other Nepalese and non-Nepalese communities for better integration and understanding about each other.
  4. Where possible, to foster better career prospects for our younger generations by helping them to achieve their aim.
  5. To promote drug and alcohol (general) awareness and promotion of healthy living.
  6. To promote greater understanding of life in the UK and its social customs and culture. 

The Committee Members (CM)

  1.  Only members are allowed to hold a post in the Committee and they are to carry out their responsibilities in accordance with the constitution of the ‘Samaj’ and shall consist of the following:
  • Chairman
  • 3 x Vice Chairman
  • General Secretary
  • Assistant Secretary
  • Treasurer
  • Assistant Treasurer
  • Media/Public relation I/C
  • Entertainment I/C
  • Assistant Entertainment I/C
  • Food I/C
  • Web Master
  • 10 x Advisers
  • Pratibha Puraskar Co-ordinator
  • Lady Representative

2.  The Committee shall be responsible for producing effective policies that embraces the ethos of the ‘Samaj’ and organise events effectively and efficiently in line with its aim and objectives.

Responsibilities of Committee Members

The responsibilities of each executive member shall be as follows:

Chairman

  • Always display loyalty, honesty, integrity and fairness and take immediate actions to stem any discrimination in the ‘Samaj’.
  • Preside over all ‘Samaj’ general and emergency meetings.
  • Oversee and guide the ‘Samaj’ in accordance with the constitution.
  • Take decisive actions to ensure members are clear on lines to take for the betterment of the ‘Samaj’.
  • Display sound judgement when receiving resignation from committee members or when handling sensitive matters.
  • Consult with key Committee Members before taking any decisions on matters that might affect the good name of the ‘Samaj’ and its members .
  • Represent the ‘Samaj’ when invited to attend functions and activities by other organisations.

Vice Chairman

  • Always display loyalty, honesty, integrity and fairness and support the Chairman in his role.
  • Stand in for the Chairman in his absence.
  • Assist the Chairman whenever required

General Secretary

  • Always display loyalty, honesty, integrity and fairness.
  • Organise and run meetings efficiently in consultation with the Chairperson.
  • Produce agenda for all meetings.
  • Produce minutes of all meetings.
  • Be the point of contact on all matters relating to the ‘Samaj’ and
  • Disseminate information efficiently and on time to all members.
  • Produce an annual report of the ‘Samaj’ at the Annual General Meeting (AGM).

Assistant General Secretary

  • Always display loyalty, honesty, integrity and fairness.
  • Stand in for the Secretary in his absence and carry out the responsibilities efficiently.
  • Assist the Secretary whenever required.

Treasurer

  • Always display loyalty, honesty, integrity and fairness.
  • Keep and maintain accurate account record of the ‘Samaj.
  • Produce a financial annual report at the AGM.
  • Produce financial statement at each meeting or whenever requested.
  • Deal with all ‘Samaj’ transactions ensuring it is within the constraint of the ‘Samaj’.
  • Deal with all ‘Samaj’ membership subscriptions and produce and
  • Maintain a membership list in close liaison with the Secretary.
  • Liaise with the bank with regards to the ‘Samaj’ account ensuring that ‘Samaj’ bank cheques/card are not misused and that it is always kept safely.

Assistant Treasurer

  • Always display loyalty, honesty, integrity and fairness.
  • Carry out the responsibilities of the Treasurer in his absence.
  • Assist the Treasurer whenever required.

Media/Public relation I/C

  • Always display loyalty, honesty, integrity and fairness.
  • Responsible for all public relations as well as advertisement in relation to all activities of the ‘Samaj’.
  • Ensure the Chairman and other relevant committee members are consulted before any media involvement and advertising.

Assistant Media/Public relation I/C

  • Always display loyalty, honesty, integrity and fairness.
  • Carry out the responsibilities of the Media/Public Relation I/C in his/her absence.
  • Assist the Media/Public relation I/C whenever required.

Entertainment I/C

  • Always display loyalty, honesty, integrity and fairness.
  • Responsible for organising all ‘Samaj’ social, religious and other activities as agreed by the committee.

Assistant Entertainment I/C

  • Always display loyalty, honesty, integrity and fairness.
  • Carry out the responsibilities of the Entertainment I/C in his/her absence.
  • Assist the Entertainment I/C whenever required.

Food I/C

  • Always display loyalty, honesty, integrity and fairness.
  • Responsible for organising food for any event of the Samaj when required.
  • Advise the Samaj on cheapest and the healthiest food for the members on any event held.

Web master

  • Always display loyalty, honesty, integrity and fairness.
  • Design and display the best possible web page of the Samaj.
  • Keep the web page up to date with events of the Samaj

Lady Representative

  • Always display loyalty, honesty, integrity and fairness.
  • Promote the communication network among the women members of the Samaj.
  • Speak up of any issues/problems of women members.

Advisers

  • Always display loyalty, honesty, integrity and fairness.
  • Attend ‘Samaj’ general and annual meetings to advice and guide the ‘Samaj’ in accordance with its constitution.
  • Advise the Chairman and his committee to ensure that ‘Samaj’ does not deviate from its aim and objectives.

Tenure of Committee Members 

The tenure of Committee Members shall be for a period of 2(two) years. The extension of tenure beyond 2 years shall be approved by Committee Members but only in exceptional circumstances.

Election of New Committee Members

This shall be carried out when the 2 year tenure of the present Committee Members end or when a new member or members have to be elected because of untimely resignation of a member due to ill health, relocation, unsatisfactory commitment, etc.

Membership Rules

  1. All individuals and families who live in the District of Dhankuta are eligible for membership.
  2. The membership duration shall be of one year or life member. Once notified of membership renewal, members should pay their renewal fee and renew their membership before the AGM. A 6 months grace period shall be given to those who fail to pay on time. Failure to pay within the said grace period the membership will automatically be annulled.
  3. Members who have been unfailingly renewing their memberships can become life members if they pay the remaining amount to be a life member accounting the money they have already paid to renew their yearly memberships.
  4. Any member whose membership has been annulled can become a member again but the previous amount he/she paid to renew won’t be counted if he or she wishes to be a life member.
  5. New membership fee shall be £20.
  6. Those over the age of 25 years who are either married or single must apply for individual membership regardless of whether they are living with their family or not.

7.The membership fee shall be £15 for a single person over the age or 25 years and £20 for a family. Regardless of their age, all dependents (those living with their parents under the same roof) have automatic rights to be included as family members.

8. Application for the ‘Samaj’ must be applied within two years of settling in the UK.

9. The ‘Samaj’ will not accept membership application from individuals or families who do not have the right to live, work or study (depending on visa status) in the UK.

10. The ‘Samaj’ will not help or be involved in any legal or immigration cases.

The ‘Samaj’ membership application forms can be obtained from the Secretary, the Treasurer or can be downloaded from the ‘Samaj’ website: www.dhankutauk.com

General and Annual Meeting

General meetings of the ‘Samaj’ should be organised as and when needed and all members shall be informed in good time. The date, time and venue shall be decided 3 months prior to the AGM to give ample time for members to organise their diary to make themselves available for the AGM.

Funding

All overheads and ‘Samaj’ activities/events expenses shall be covered from the membership fund. Should there be needed to raise additional funds for a particular cause or event, members shall be informed in good time and the said fund shall only be raised on the full endorsement of committee members. Unless approved by the ‘committee’, no member should be allowed to raise funds, organise charity events or carry out other activities in the name of the DSS (UK). 

Welfare Support

All members are eligible for welfare support and assistance from the ‘Samaj’. Depending on the predicament and need of the individual/family, the Committee Members will decide on what advice, support and assistance should be given and whether there is a need to raise funds to help the individual/family. Help and support to non-members of Dhankuta shall only be given when approved by the Committee Members (only in an exceptional case). Individual contributions to needy person shall be made in a voluntary basis only.

 Media

No member shall represent the ‘Samaj’ in any media activities unless approved by the Committee Members. Media/Public relation I/C will be responsible to deal all media matters by close liaison with Committee Members accordingly. He/she shall be the spokesperson for the ‘Samaj’ in all media matters.

Events and Funeral

‘Annual Get-Together’ shall be held on an annual basis and the date, time and venue for the event shall be notified to all members in good time to enable them to make themselves available for the event. Any thanks giving ceremony for achievements or recognitions shall also be held on the same day. Should the ‘Samaj’ be invited to any wedding ceremonies, a GIFT worth of £100 along with flowers and a card shall be presented to the bride and groom on behalf of the ‘Samaj’. The cost of the gift etc. shall be borne from the ‘Samaj’ fund. The Committee Members shall consult with the bereaved family member to decide on the need of raising a Funeral Grant. Should it be deemed necessary to raise it then each member should contribute £20 towards it. The Committee will decide on how best to make use of the Grant to help the bereaved family. The Chairman or equivalent shall be responsible for laying the wreath from the ‘Samaj’ on the day of the funeral. The name list of all the contributors for the funeral grant shall be handed over to the bereaved family member who receives the fund.

Disciplinary Action

Any member breaching the ‘Samaj’ constitution shall be liable for dismissal from the ‘Samaj’ and the severity of the disciplinary action to be taken against the perpetrator shall be decided by the Committee Members. Their decision shall be final.

Conclusion

It is very much hoped that all members will work towards the betterment of the ‘Samaj’ and ensure that we evolve to the needs of the ‘Samaj’. The ‘Samaj’ has been established to bring us closer together to foster greater understanding and friendship among us to enable to help those who are in greater need. It also aims to create a non-discriminative atmosphere whereby we learn to respect each other and to live and work in peace with a greater harmony. Let’s all strive and rise to the challenges that the ‘Samaj’ may FACE now or in the future. Let’s work together under the one umbrella so that we can surmount any problems that come across our path. Let’s not forget that ‘We are one and one for all’.

Jai DSS UK

 

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