Amendment status not verified — confirm the current text below against the official source.
In this Act unless the context otherwise requires,- (1) "Authority" means a Command Areas Development Authority constituted under section 3; (2) "command area", in relation to one or more irrigation project or projects means such area as may be notified by the Government, comprising, among other lands, lands benefited by such irrigation project or projects; (3) "community irrigation project" means any irrigation project irrigating an extent of ordinarily not less than 5 hectares and not more than 50 hectares executed by the Government or the Authority with the participation of farmers and managed by a registered association of beneficiary farmers. (4) "comprehensive development", in relation to a command area includes,- (a) bringing the land records up-to-date for land survey and mapping with aerial photographs; (b) conservation of land and water; (c) construction of field channels with related structures; (d) construction of field drains with related structures; (e) land shaping, including grading, levelling, bunding and the like. (f) realignment of field boundaries and rectangularisation of plots under a pipe-outlet or under an adjacent pipe-outlet for efficient farm management; (g) lining of field channels with suitable material to prevent see-page of water; (h) construction and upgrading of ayacut roads with related structures; (i) grouping of small holdings in a continuous area nearer the outlet and larger ones farther away; (j) other ancillary measures to avoid wastage of water and prevent water-logging, salinity, alkalinity and the like; (k) conjunctive use of surface and ground water for multiple cropping and proper utilisation of available water resources; (l) all round development on the farm in the areas pertaining to agriculture, horticulture, sericulture, farm forestry, animal husbandry, fisheries, communication, agro-based industry and co-operation; (5) "Credit agency" means a banking company as defined in the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 (Central Act 10 of 1949) or a bank constituted or established under any law for the time being in force or a co-operative society registered or deemed to be registered under the Kerala Co-operative Societies Act, 1969 (21 of 1969); (6) "distribution system" includes,- (a) all main canals, branch canals, distributaries, sub-distributaries and channels between head works and field channels constructed for the supply and distribution of water for irrigation; (b) all works, structures and appliances connected with the distribution of water for irrigation; (c) all field channels and farm channels and related structures under a pipe-outlet; (7) "drainage system" includes,- (a) channels either natural or artificial for the discharge of waste or surplus water and all works connected therewith or ancillary thereto; (b) all connecting drains and main drains to drain off surplus water; (c) all field drains and related structures under a pipe-outlet; (8) "farm channel" means a small channel formed within a holding to spread the water evenly to ensure effective water use; (9) "field channel" means regulated water-course having a capacity to irrigate lands not ordinarily exceeding forty hectares constructed by the Government and maintained by the beneficiaries or by any other agency on their behalf to receive supply of water from a pipe-outlet; (10) "field drain" means a channel excavated and maintained by the landholder or by any other agency on his behalf to discharge waste or surplus water from the landholding under a pipe-outlet; (11) "ineligible person" means a person not eligible for ordinary land development loans and belonging to any of the following categories, namely:- (i) minors without guardians; (ii) framers occupying Government lands which have not been assigned to them or Government lands assigned but which shall revert to Government in case the assignee mortgages the same; (iii) farmers occupying lands alienated by women prior to the coming into force of the Hindu Succession Act, 1956 (Central Act 30 of 1956); (iv) persons holding lands exceeding the ceiling area under the Kerala Land Reforms Act 1963 (1 of 1964); (v) landholders unable to get loan from any credit agency because of overdues which are to be cleared before obtaining any loan for further capital investment; and (vi) farmers who are unwilling to apply for land development loan; (12) "irrigation project" means a major, medium, minor or community irrigation project; (13) "irrigation system" includes distribution system and drainage system; (14) "irrigation system under a pipe-outlet" includes the field channels, field drains and farm channels with all the related structures thereto; (15) "land holder" means a person in actual possession of the land whether as an owner or as a tenant or sub-tenant or as a mortgagee in possession or as a licensee or otherwise and includes a person who is likely to be benefited by any development work under this Act and the expression "land-holding" shall be construed as land held by a landholder; (16) "major irrigation project" means an irrigation project capable of irrigating an area of ten thousand hectares or more; (17) "medium irrigation project" means an irrigation project capable of irrigating an area below ten thousand hectares and above two thousand hectares; (18) "member" means member of an Authority; (19) "minor irrigation project" means any irrigation project other than a major or a medium irrigation project; (20) "pipe-outlet" means an opening or contrivance constructed by the State Government in an irrigation system through which water is delivered at the periphery of a block of land the extent of which ordinarily does not exceed forty hectares; (21) "Scheduled Castes" and "Scheduled Tribes" shall have the meanings respectively assigned to them in the Constitution of India..