1.1. The name of the Society shall be the “INDIAN SOCIETY OF SOIL SCIENCE”, hereinafter abbreviated as the ‘ISSS’.

2.1. The objectives of the ISSS shall be (a) to cultivate and promote soil science and kindred branches of science; (b) to disseminate the knowledge of soil science and its applications, through meetings, discussions, and publications; (c) to promote judicious interactive use of soil, water and other natural resources, fertilizer and other inputs to maintain quality and resilience of soil for sustainable agriculture; (d) to foster high standards in the teaching and education of soil science; (e) to work in close association with learned societies and organisations having similar objectives; (f) to create public awareness about the importance of soil as a finite natural resource, and (g) to carry out research and to perform all other acts, matters, and things that may assist in, or be conduce to, or be necessary for the fulfillment of objectives and purposes of the Society.

2.1. The ISSS shall consist of Honorary Members, Life Members, Members, Donor members, Institutional Members, and Student Members.
3.2. Honorary Member
3.2.1. Honorary Members and their privileges are as per provisions laid down in Article 11.1.1
3.3. Life Member
3.3.1 A Member shall be entitled to become, at any time of a year, a Life Member on payment of a compounded sum equal to 25 times the annual Membership subscription at the rate prevailing at that time, if the person is 45 years or less in age at the time of seeking a conversion of his/her membership to Life Membership, while Members more than 45 years of age shall be required to pay 15 times the annual Membership for the same purpose. Life membership subscription can be paid over a period of two years in not more than four equated installments. A life Member shall enjoy all the privileges of a Member as laid down in Article 3.4.3.
3.4. Member
3.4.1. Individuals holding a degree in Soil Science or kindred branches of science/technology can apply for membership of the ISSS in the prescribed proforma. The Council of the Society shall have a discretion to admit or refuse admission on adequate grounds.
3.4.2. The admission fee and membership subscription are subject to changes, on the recommendation of the Council and on approval of the General Body. The annual membership subscription shall be for a calendar year and shall be due on the 1st January each year. A Member who pays the annual membership subscription on or before 31st March each year only, shall have the right of voting, holding office, and other privileges of the ISSS. The defaulting members can rejoin the Society any time in that calendar year without having to pay the admission fee, but shall not have right to receive issues of Journal published prior to that date. The defaulting members on the 31st December of that year shall automatically cease to be members and their names shall be struck off from the register. If such a defaulting member wants to rejoin the ISSS, he/she can do so by paying admission fee, besides the membership subscription.
3.4.3. A Member shall have the privileges in accordance with the provisions contained in Article 3.4.2, of receiving, free of cost a copy of the Journal in the year of membership and other publications of the ISSS at a concessional rate, as fixed by the Council. A Member shall also have the privileges of attending the General Body Meetings, holding of offices of the ISSS, and presenting papers at the technical sessions, seminars and symposia, and other scientific conferences organized by the ISSS.
3.5. Donor and /or Corporate Member
3.5.1. Any person or organization whose association with the ISSS is conducive to the interests of the ISSS and who pays a lumpsum amount 500 times the annual subscription of a Member to the funds of the ISSS, may be admitted by the Council as Donor and /or Corporate member. A Donor and /or Corporate Member shall receive, free of cost, a copy of the Journal of the ISSS from the year of admission. A Donor and /or Corporate Member or his/her representative may attend and take part in the deliberations of scientific meetings organized by the ISSS, but shall not have right of voting and holding any office of the ISSS
3.6. Institutional Member
3.6.1. An organization/ institution/ association of people/ body of individuals having interest in soil science or kindred branches of science/technology can apply for Institutional Membership in the prescribed proforma. The Council of the ISSS will consider such applications and shall have the discretion to admit or refuse admission on adequate grounds. On admission, an Institutional Member will be required to pay annually a sum equivalent to ten times the prevailing annual Membership subscription with no levy of admission fee. Institutional Member shall have the right to receive Journal, Newsletter and any other material as decided by the Council of the Society on complimentary basis. A representative of the Institutional Member can attend scientific meetings of the Society. Institutional Member shall not have any right of voting or holding office.
3.7. Student Member
3.4.1. The Council may admit bonafide full-time post-graduate students in soil science and in kindred branches of science/technology of recognized Universities/ Institutions as Student Members in the same manner as that of a Member. The Student Member shall also pay the admission fee at the current rate and membership subscription at concessional rate, as fixed by the Council. The membership subscription shall be payable on or before 31st March each year, and thereafter the same provisions as listed under Article 3.4.2 for Members shall be applicable to Student Members. A Student Member shall receive, free of cost, a copy of issue(s) of the Journal of the Society printed after the date of payment of subscription during the year of membership, and shall have the privilege of participating in scientific meetings organized by the ISSS, but shall have no right of voting and holding any office. The privileges laid down so far shall be enjoyed by a Student Member as long as he/ she is a student on the rolls of the University/ Institution.
3.8. Relinquishing Membership
3.8.1. Any member may resign, on application in writing, from the membership of the ISSS, but shall not be entitled to any refund of any fees /subscription paid by him/her in advance. Should such a member decide to rejoin the ISSS, he/she shall be treated as a new member.
3.9. Membership Disqualification
3.9.1. Any member found indulging in acts contrary to the objectives, purposes and activities of the ISSS can be removed from the membership by the Council by following the due procedure as laid down in bye-laws.

4.1. The objectives of the Chapter of the ISSS shall be to have a forum for the soil scientists of a region in India to meet, discuss, and take steps to achieve the objectives of ISSS, with particular reference to the region and also to assist the main body of the ISSS.
4.2. Upon request of not fewer than 20 members of the ISSS, residing within a contiguous region, as defined in the request, the Council shall consider the same and take appropriate decision regarding the formation of a Chapter of the ISSS. The name of the Chapter shall bear the name of the town (place) of the headquarters of the Chapter as a prefix and shall be “......... Chapter of the Indian Society of Soil Science”. The name of a State, except in the case of Union Territory as a whole, shall not be the region.
4.3. The Honorary Members, Life Members, Members and Student Members of the ISSS residing within the jurisdiction of the region shall be eligible to become members of the Chapter of that region. They shall enjoy such privileges as the Chapter may grant. A member may transfer his/ her Chapter membership to another Chapter when his/ her place of residence does not fall within the jurisdiction of the previous Chapter.
4.4. A Chapter shall frame its own rules and regulations, in harmony with the objectives of the ISSS, and shall have its own Executive Committee for administration and control of funds.
4.5. A Chapter shall be empowered to collect admission fee and membership subscription of new members as well as annual membership subscription of continuing members and life membership subscription. It can also collect contributions from Donor Members on behalf of ISSS. The Chapter shall be entitled to retain 10 per cent of all collections, to be added to the funds of the Chapter.
4.6. A Chapter shall collect funds, receive donations or bequests made to the said Chapter, and may expend or invest the same in the interest of the Chapter at the discretion of its Executive Committee provided that the purposes are consistent with the objectives of the ISSS. A Chapter may open an account with any scheduled bank in the name of the Chapter and shall frame its own rules and regulations governing the financial transactions. The ISSS shall have no liability for any transactions made by any Chapter with any bank or with anyone else.
4.7. A Chapter shall maintain a register of its members and shall take such action as may be necessary for collection of dues from members and Donor Members and remittance to the ISSS. Each Chapter shall submit a brief report of its activities to the ISSS at least one month before the announced date of the Annual General Body Meeting. The reporting period shall be the period between two consecutive Annual General Body Meetings.
4.8. Upon noticing that a Chapter is not functioning in conformity with the above provisions, the Council shall take note of it and take an appropriate action.
4.9. Any other matter, concerning Chapters not covered in this article, shall be decided by the ISSS Council.

5.1. The administration, direction, and management of the affairs of the ISSS shall be entrusted to a Council _ the executive body which shall be composed of President, two Vice-Presidents, all Past-Presidents holding a membership of ISSS, Secretary, Treasurer, Joint Secretary, Assistant Secretary; Chief Editor and twenty Councillors and not more than two other Councillors co-opted from broad geographical regions which remain unrepresented in the Council. All persons on the Council shall work in honorary capacity.
5.2. The members of the Council, except past-Presidents (ex-officio members), shall hold office for a term of two calendar years following the Annual General Body Meeting at which they are elected/inducted or under extra-ordinary circumstances till the second following Annual General Body Meeting. Any casual vacancy occurring in the Council may be filled by the Council from amongst the Councillors or from eligible members outside the Council. In case of vacancy of the President, the Council shall elect one of the two Vice-Presidents as the President. The individual so elected by the Council shall retire from the Council after completing the, unexpired term of the person whom he/she replaced, but shall be eligible for re-election to the Council.
5.3. The President, upon completion of his/her term of office, shall become a member (ex-officio) of the Council so long as he/ she continues as member of the ISSS. A President shall not be eligible for re-election for the post of President any time in future. The other members of the Council are eligible for re-election. Of the two Vice-Presidents and 20 Councillors, one Vice-President and 10 Councillors shall be elected each year for a term of two years and shall not, on termination of the term, be eligible for re-election until the lapse of one year or until the third Annual General Body Meeting following the one at which they were elected.
5.4. Election to fill vacancies on the Council each year shall be held annually, and will be finalised at the Annual General Body Meeting.
5.4.1. Before the end of June each year, the Secretary shall place before the Council a list of vacancies on the Council for the next two years. Well in advance of the Annual General Body Meeting, the Secretary shall notify each member with voting right, the list of vacancies on the Council and the list of members with voting right, and shall invite nominations, in the prescribed proforma in favour of the members in the voters’ list for election to the Council to fill the vacancies.
5.4.2. Each nomination duly proposed by a member and seconded by another, each with voting right, shall contain consent of the nominee, failing which the nomination shall be rejected by the Council.
5.4.3. The Secretary shall scrutinize the nominations, and prepare a list of candidates of valid nomination in respect of the President, Vice President, Secretary, Joint Secretary, Treasurer and Assistant Secretary, as the case my be. Election for these positions shall be held by the postal ballot. The Secretary shall prepare the ballot papers and send to the Members of the Council for marking their choice. Last date for the receipt of the ballot papers from the Members of the Council shall be a working day preceding the day of the Council meeting in which the results of this election are to be considered and approved. Counting of the ballots shall be done on the day of Council meeting by a committee constituted for this purpose by the Council and the result shall be placed before the Council. In the event of there being no valid nomination(s) for any one or more of the above position(s), the Council suo moto shall recommend the name(s) for filling such vacancy(ies). The Council shall recommend the names for being elected as President, Vice-President, Secretary, Joint Secretary, Treasurer and Assistant Secretary as the case may be, to fill up the vacancies. The Secretary, Treasurer, Joint Secretary, and Assistant Secretary shall be from the headquarters of the Society.
5.4.4. Ten Councillors shall be elected by postal ballot, if the number of nominations exceeds ten. In case the number of nominations is less than ten, the Council shall have the power to nominate any eligible member of ISSS to make it ten. Upon a ballot for election, each voter shall be entitled to cast one vote for each of the ten vacant places. Unless all the ten vacant places are voted for, the ballot paper shall be treated as invalid. The President of the ISSS shall constitute a committee consisting of a Chairperson and not less than nine members who are not contesting for election, to scrutinize the ballot papers received and count the votes on same day prior to the Annual General Body Meeting. They shall jointly prepare and sign a report giving a statement of the votes cast for each candidate, the total number of ballot papers issued, number of ballot papers received, and the number of ballot papers rejected, and shall submit it to the Secretary. The President or his/her nominee shall arbitrate any dispute regarding the validity and counting of ballot paper. The report shall be presented at the Annual General Body Meeting. The candidates securing highest number of votes shall be declared elected. In case of equality of votes, the Chairperson at the Annual General Body Meeting shall have a casting vote.
5.4.4.1. The Council shall review the results of the election of the 10 Councillors in its first meeting following the election. In case, any of the four zones, as defined later in this para, remain unrepresented, the Council shall co-opt one member from each unrepresented zone securing the highest number of votes but not less than 10% of the valid votes polled. For this purpose, the demarcation of four zones, namely, East, West, South and North, shall be the same as decided by the Council from time to time for the purpose of organizing the ISSS Zonal Award Contest each year.
5.4.4.2. In case, even after following the above procedure any of the zone(s) remain unrepresented, then the Council shall identify one of the Chapters from each of the unrepresented zone(s) and nominate a member of that Chapter to represent that zone on the Council. A Chapter once represented shall not be eligible to be represented again till such time all Chapters of that zone have been represented.
5.4.5. Non-receipt of a ballot paper by any voter shall not invalidate any election provided that documentary evidence of mailing/ supply is produced by the Secretary, ISSS on demand by such a voter not receiving the ballot paper.
5.5. The Council shall constitute Statutory Standing Commitees, viz., Policy and Bye-Laws Committee, Budget and Finance Committee, Technical Programme Committee each year and any other committee(s) as per the need. The Council while constituting such committees shall determine the terms of reference, and composition, as well as quorum for transaction of business. The Secretary, Joint Secretary and Treasurer shall be the Member-Secretary of Standing Committees on Policy and Bye-Laws, Technical Programme and Budget and Finance, respectively. Each of such Committees shall report to the Council at each meeting of the Council and a comprehensive summary or full report of its activity shall be made a part of Council records. In case of non-acceptance of one or more of the recommendations of any Statutory Standing Committee by the Council, the reasons for doing so will be recorded.
5.6. The Council shall have the power to make any nomination for and on behalf of the ISSS as may be necessary.
5.7. The Council shall, for the purposes of auditing the accounts of the Society of each year, appoint a firm of Chartered Accountants and shall fix remuneration for the professional services rendered.
5.8. The Council shall have the power to frame T.A. rules and other service rules of the ISSS.
5.9. The Secretary, in consultation with the President, shall have the power to invite an individual or individuals to participate in the deliberations of the Council meeting for specific purposes. The invitee(s) shall not have right of voting, if there is any.
5.10. The Secretary shall have the authority of overall management of the ISSS within the framework of rules and regulations and shall have the responsibility of safe upkeep of property of ISSS. In this management, he/she shall be assisted by the Treasurer, Joint Secretary and Assistant Secretary. The Secretary shall have power to delegate his/ her power(s) to these officers. In the absence of Secretary from the headquarters, Joint Secretary shall look after the work of the Secretary, and in the absence of the latter, the Assistant Secretary.
5.11. The Secretary shall have the power with approval of the President to appoint on such remuneration and on such terms and conditions of service as the Council may decide from time to time, as well as to terminate the services of any of the paid employees of the ISSS after giving one month’s notice. A member of the Council, if he/she accepts any job of the ISSS on remuneration shall forfeit the membership of the Council but can continue as a member of ISSS.
5.12. The Treasurer shall, jointly with the Secretary, manage and be responsible for the financial affairs of the ISSS, viz., receipt of funds, maintenance of accounts, and its auditing, reporting to the Council and at the Annual General Body Meeting. The Treasurer, in consultation with the Secretary, shall have power to make sundry expenditure.

6.1. Editorial Board composed of Chief Editor and twenty Editors shall be constituted by the Council and shall hold office for a term of two years. Each Editor shall be eligible for re-induction. The Secretary and Joint Secretary shall be ex-officio members of the Editorial Board. The function, duties and responsibilities of the Editorial Board shall be governed by the bye-laws framed by the Council

7.1. The Council shall meet at least once in four months and more often, if necessary. A member of the Council or anyone else invited to transact any business of ISSS will be eligible for travel support as per norms laid by the Council, provided travelling allowance from no other source is claimed and a certificate to that effect is furnished along with the claim.
7.2. The agenda for the meetings of the Council shall be drawn by the Secretary, in consultation with President, if necessary.
7.3. The Secretary, in consultation with the President, shall convene meetings of the Council and shall intimate all the members of the Council the date, time, venue, and agenda of the meeting at least 15 days before the meeting.
7.4. The non-receipt of the notice and the agenda of the meeting by any member of the Council shall not be a cause for invalidating that meeting and decisions taken thereat, provided that there is sufficient evidence of the notice being sent.
7.5. Fifteen members of the Council shall form a quorum. In case the quorum is not complete, the meeting will be adjourned for few minutes and resumed thereafter recording a resolution to that effect. In such adjourned and reconvened meeting only the already circulated agenda will be transacted excluding ‘Any other matter with the permission of the Chair’.
7.6. The President, or in his/ her absence, one of the Vice-Presidents shall take the Chair. In the absence of the President and Vice-Presidents, the members of the Council present shall elect a Chairperson.
7.7. The ordinary method of voting shall be by show of hands, but the votes shall be taken by ballot on a motion to this effect being duly carried. The Chairperson shall be entitled to vote along with other Council members. When the votes are equal, the Chairperson shall have a casting vote.
7.8. Any Council member unable to be present at any meeting of the Council may send his/ her opinion in writing on any item of the agenda and this shall be duly considered at the meeting.
7.9. The Council shall have power to take a decision in respect of an item of importance through a postal ballot of all the members of the Council.
7.10. True and faithful minutes of the proceedings of every Council meeting shall be drawn by the Secretary/ Joint Secretary/ Assistant Secretary or in their absence by one of the Council members appointed by the Chairperson. A copy of the minutes of each Council meeting, shall be circulated to all the Council members inviting their comments regarding correctness of recording and shall be placed at the next Council meeting for confirmation.
7.11. The confirmed proceedings shall be maintained as a permanent record of the ISSS.

8.1. The Annual General Body Meeting shall be a business meeting, open to Members, Life Members and Honorary Members and shall be held at any time before December each year. This meeting shall be a part of the Annual Convention (Article 10) and shall be held at a place and time fixed by the Council.
8.2. The notice of the meeting stating the place, date, time and agenda of the meeting shall be sent to all the members of all categories at least one month before the date fixed for the meeting. Under unavoidable circumstances, the period of notice may be less.
8.3. The order of the business at the meeting shall normally be, subject to addition or deletion at the discretion of the Council, as follows: (a) confirmation of proceedings of the last Annual General Body Meeting; (b) action taken on the decisions made in the last Annual General Body Meeting; (c) declaration of any gift or donation received by the ISSS; (d) declaration of names of members elected to the vacancies on the Council for the next two years; (e) presentation and adoption of the Council’s report on the working of the ISSS for the period since the last Annual General Body Meeting, with modification if any; (f) presentation, consideration and adoption of the statement of accounts for the previous financial year; (g) presentation, consideration and adoption of budget estimates for the next financial year; (h) any other report and communication from the Council; (i) selection of topic of symposium or seminar for the next year, if any; (j) selection of venue for the next meeting or convention; (k) remarks by the Chairperson; (l) vote of thanks.
8.4. One hundred members shall form a quorum.
8.5. The President or in his/ her absence one of the Vice-Presidents shall preside at the meeting. If none of them is available, the members present shall elect a Chairperson.

9.1. The Extraordinary General Body Meeting shall be convened by the Secretary on the direction of the President or on a majority decision of the Council, to transact special and specific business needing immediate attention and decision, and which cannot be deferred till the next Annual General Body Meeting. Such meeting may also be convened on a requisition signed by not less than 20 per cent of the members with voting right on the day of requisition, stating the business to be transacted thereat.
9.2. Notice stating the date, time, venue, and agenda of the meeting shall be sent to all members with voting right at least fifteen days before the date of meeting.
9.3. No business other than that included in the agenda shall be transacted at the meeting.

10.1. The Annual Convention of the ISSS will normally be organized before December each year at a place and time decided by the Council to facilitate formal transactions of soil scientists and others interested in soil science and related branches of science.
10.2. The Annual Convention will include, subject to addition and deletion by the Council, the following: (a) Inauguration, which will include inter alia conferment of Honorary Membership, induction of Fellows, presentation of awards and honours; (b) Special Lectures; (c) Symposium/Seminar/ Conference, if any; (d) Scientific Sessions; and (e) Annual General Body Meeting of the ISSS.
10.3. The President or in his/ her absence one of the Vice-Presidents, shall preside at the inaugural function. In case of non-availability of any one of them, the Secretary and the available Council members will decide the Chairperson for the inaugural function.
10.4. The Technical Programme Committee will work out the details of all the sessions.
10.5. If there is any Chapter where the convention is held, the Chapter shall normally be requested to shoulder the responsibility of organizing the Convention and form a Local Organizing Committee, which will be authorized to collect Registration Fee from the delegates. Twenty per cent of the Registration Fee shall be transferred to the headquarters of ISSS.
10.6. A concluding session of the Annual Convention will be held in the end, which will broadly transact the following: (a) brief report of the Secretary, (b) highlights of each scientific session, (c) major recommendations emanating from the Convention, (d) Presidential address, and (v) vote of thanks.
10.7. A concise report of the Convention shall be published in an early issue of the Journal of the ISSS, following the Convention.

11.1. Honorary Member
11.1.1. Honorary membership is the highest honour bestowed by the ISSS. The Honorary Membership shall be conferred by the Council on an individual in recognition of his/ her outstanding contributions related to the objectives of ISSS, irrespective of his/her membership of the ISSS and his/her nationality. The total number of Honorary Members shall be limited to 30 at any time and not more than two shall be honoured in a year. On conferment, they shall be exempted from payment of membership subscription, but shall continue to enjoy the privileges of Members (Art. 3.4.2 and 3.4.3). The conferment of the Honorary Membership shall be in the form of a citation at the Annual Convention.

11.1.2. The task of identifying the persons to be considered for conferment of Honorary Membership of ISSS shall be assigned by the Council to a Committee consisting of (a) Three Honorary Members, (b) one of the Vice-Presidents, and (c) Secretary. The Council will nominate one of the three above Honorary Members as Chairperson and the Secretary, ISSS will function as its Member-Secretary. The Council shall consider the recommendations of the Committee and take a final decision.

11.2. The Platinum Jubilee Commemoration Award
11.2.1. The award, instituted in commemoration of the Platinum Jubilee Celebrations held in 2009 shall be awarded every year to an outstanding Scientist for lifetime contributions in any discipline of Soil Science. The conferment of the Platinum Jubilee Commemoration Award shall be in the form of a scroll at the Annual Convention. Person awarded the Platinum Jubilee Commemoration Award shall not be eligible for any award of the ISSS except the Honorary Membership.

11.2.2. The task of identifying the person to be considered for the Platinum Jubilee Commemoration Award shall be assigned by the Council to a Five Member Committee consisting of a) at least two Honorary Members, b) one of the Vice Presidents and c) Secretary. The Council will nominate one of the above Honorary Members as the Chairperson and the Secretary, ISSS will function as its Member-Secretary. The Council shall consider the recommendations of the Committee and take a final decision.

11.3. Fellows
11.3.1. The ISSS shall have Fellows from amongst the sustaining active Members and Life Members in recognition of their professional outstanding contributions and service to the ISSS. Total number of Fellows shall not at any time exceed 125 and the number of persons bestowed with Fellowship each year shall not exceed four.

11.3.2. To be eligible for nomination to Fellowship, an individual must have been a sustaining member (not in arrears of subscription) for at least ten consecutive years. The nomination will be made in each case at least by two Fellows/Honorary Members in the prescribed proforma by a specified date. In a year a Fellow/ Honorary Member can make not more than one nomination. Nominations once made shall remain valid for three years. In a year, in case of an eligible member, either the nomination for fellowship or the application for any other award of the Society only, can be considered and not both.

11.3.3. The valid nominations shall be evaluated by a Judging Committee, appointed by the President, which shall comprise five members from amongst the Past- Presidents, Honorary Members, and Fellows of the ISSS. The composition of the Judging Committee so constituted will be kept confidential till the recommendations of the Judging Committee are placed before the Council. The Council shall take action on the recommendation of the Judging Committee and declare the names of the persons to be bestowed with the Fellowship of ISSS.

11.3.4. The newly inducted Fellows shall be formally admitted at the Annual Convention and presented with a citation. The Fellows of the ISSS may use the abbreviation ‘FISSS’ as a suffix to their names.

11.4. The Twelfth International Congress Commemoration Award
11.4.1. The award, instituted in commemoration of the 12th International Congress of Soil Science, sponsored and organized by the ISSS in February 1982, shall be awarded annually to a member of the ISSS, irrespective of age, in recognition of his/ her outstanding contributions in Soil Science. Each applicant shall give evidence of creating a school of research, providing leadership and/ or making independent outstanding contribution in any branch of Soil Science. The Honorary Members, Platinum Jubilee Commemoration Awardee and Fellows shall not be eligible for the consideration of this award.

11.4.2. On notification by the ISSS, the member shall apply in the prescribed proforma for the award, stating his/ her field of specialization, supported by a concise account of accomplishments (not more than 500 words), list of publications, and reprints of papers. Any other material in support of the candidature may also be submitted.

11.4.3. The applications shall be evaluated by a Judging Committee, appointed by the Council, comprising five members, including the Chairperson. In addition Secretary of ISSS shall be the Member-Secretary of this Committee. The recommendations of the Judging Committee shall be considered by the Council who shall decide the name of the award winner.

11.4.4. The awardee shall be honoured with a gold plated medal and citation at the Annual Convention.

11.5. ISSS–Dr. J.S.P. Yadav Memorial Award for Excellence in Soil Science
11.5.1. The award instituted in the memory of Late Padmashri Dr. J.S.P. Yadav on request from a large number of Chapters and Members of the ISSS, shall be awarded annually to a member of the ISSS or a team in the area of basic/ applied aspects of soil science for sustainable high productivity. In case of the team one of the members shall be the active member of the ISSS. Work carried out only during the last ten years shall be considered for the award.

11.5.1. The award instituted in the memory of Late Padmashri Dr. J.S.P. Yadav on request from a large number of Chapters and Members of the ISSS, shall be awarded annually to a member of the ISSS or a team in the area of basic/ applied aspects of soil science for sustainable high productivity. In case of the team one of the members shall be the active member of the ISSS. Work carried out only during the last ten years shall be considered for the award.

11.5.2. On notification by the ISSS, an individual or a team leader shall apply in the prescribed proforma for the award, giving a concise account (not more than 500 words) of the work supported by the best five original research papers published in not less than three different peer-review journals of repute, and also a brief description of a) products developed and patent(s) granted/ commercialized, and b) viable technologies developed in India or any other well-recognized international organization based in India.

11.5.3. The judging shall be done according to the procedures laid down in Article 11.4.3.

11.5.4. The awardee shall be honoured with a gold-plated medal and citation at the Annual Convention.

11.6. Prof. Sant Singh Memorial Award for Excellence in Education and Research in Soil Science
11.6.1. The award instituted in the memory of Late Prof. Sant Singh on request from Varanasi Chapter of the ISSS, shall be awarded annually to a member of the ISSS for his/her outstanding contributions in teaching and research excellence in the field of soil science. The candidate shall be a current member of ISSS and the membership shall be at least five years in continuation. Contribution in teaching and research made during last 10 years only shall be considered for the award.

11.6.2. On notification by the ISSS, an individual shall apply in prescribed proforma for the award, giving a concise account of the work (not more than 500 words each for teaching and research) supported by documentary evidence in the form of: (a) For the assessment of teaching: A certificate from Dean/Director of the Faculty/Institute authenticating contribution of the applicant in development /revision of course curriculum, copies of teaching materials like books, book chapters, manuals, models, bulletins, technical folders, e-courses, e-lectures developed, list of courses taught at UG/PG levels, number of M.Sc and Ph.D students supervised and quality of students/human resources as evident by their placements; and (b) For the assessment of research: Best five original research papers published in not less than three different peerreview journals of repute.

11.6.3. The judging shall be done according to the procedures laid down in Article 11.4.3.

11.6.4. The awardee shall be honoured with a goldplated medal and citation at the Annual Convention.

11.7. The Golden Jubilee Commemoration Young Scientist Award
11.7.1. The award, instituted in commemoration of the Golden Jubilee Celebration of the ISSS in December 1984, shall be awarded annually to a member of the ISSS of age not exceeding 40 years on 31st December of the year of award, in recognition of his/ her professional contributions in Soil Science. The work done for any degree shall not be considered within the purview of the contributions in judging the award.

11.7.2. On notification from the ISSS, eligible members of the ISSS shall apply in the prescribed proforma by a specified date, stating their field of specialization, supported by certificate of date of birth, a short and concise account of the published work (not exceeding 250 words), list of publications, and reprints of most relevant papers. Any other material in support of the candidature may also be submitted.

11.7.3. The judging shall be done according to the procedures laid down in Article 11.4.3.

11.7.4. The awardee shall be honoured with a gold plated medal and citation at the Annual Convention.

11.8. ISSS Best Doctoral Research Presentation Award
11.8.1. The award shall be excusively meant for the best presentation of the doctoral research work. The contest for the award shall be organised in two rounds. The preliminary first round shall be organised on the zonal basis, at the time of ISSS Zonal Award Contest as per Article 11.6. For this preliminary round, the procedure namely, demarcation of zones, identification of the Chapters, invitation and screening of the applications, formation of the Judging Committee, organisation of the contest, etc. shall be the same as for the ISSS Zonal Awards Contests. However, the Judging Committee of each zone will recommend not more than two of the best contestants for participation in the second and final round.

11.8.2. The second and final round shall be held at the Annual Convention of ISSS, where the contestants, not more than eight in all, from the four zones shall be required to make a presentation. The presentations shall be evaluated by a Judging Committee constituted by the Council. The winner of the Award shall be honoured with a citation and a gold-plated medal at the Concluding Session of the Annual Convention and all other contestants will be given commendation certificates.

11.9. The Indian Society of Soil Science Zonal Awards
11.9.1. The awards, four in number, shall be exclusively meant for the post-graduate (Master’s degree) students in Soil Science for the best presentation of postgraduate (Master’s degree) research work. There shall be one award for each of the East, West, North, and South zones of India. The Council shall decide from time to time the States and Union Territories to be covered in each zone. The Council shall also identify each year the Chapter of the ISSS which shall shoulder the responsibility for organizing the contest in each zone within a specified date

11.9.2. The Chapter shall make all necessary arrangements, viz., venue, judging, board and lodging of the contestants and delegates, and forwarding to the Secretary, ISSS the name of the winner for the award. The Council shall constitute the Judging Committee for each zone comprising five members from amongst the different Chapters of the zone. The Chapter assigned the responsibility of organizing the contest shall work in close association with the Secretary of the ISSS. Some funds shall be made available to the Chapter to meet the cost of secretarial assistance and stationery. The contestants shall bear all the expenditure including their travel, board and lodging.

11.9.3. On a notification from the ISSS, the eligible candidates shall apply in the prescribed proforma by a specified date. Every Chapter of ISSS shall be entitled to recommend not more than two candidates fulfilling all the requirements of the contest and willing to participate in the Zonal Awards Contest, and each such contestant participating in the Zonal Awards Contest shall be paid second class rail fare or ordinary bus fare from the place of stay to the venue of Zonal Awards Contest and back, provided travelling allowance from no other source is claimed and a certificate to that effect in furnished along with the claim. Each awardee shall be presented with a gold plated medal and citation at the end of the contest by the Chapter of ISSS.

11.10. Dr. S.P. Raychaudhuri Gold Medal
11.10.1. Instituted out of a donation made by Mrs. Raychaudhuri in memory of her husband Dr. S.P. Raychaudhuri in 1993, one Gold Medal at a cost not exceeding Rs. 3000/- shall be awarded annually for the best doctoral thesis by students of Discipline of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi. This programme shall be organized, as per the mechanism evolved by the Delhi Chapter of the Indian Society of Soil Science in association with the Division of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry (SSAC), Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) and the Gold Medal will be awarded in a joint function organized by the Delhi Chapter and the Chemistry Students’ Association of the Division of SSAC, IARI, New Delhi.

11.11 Best Poster Presentation Awards
11.11.1. To encourage and foster competition and to recognize excellence in poster presentations made in the Annual Convention of ISSS, not more than three “Best Poster Presentation Awards” will be given in a year on the recommended of a judging Committee constituted for this purpose during the Annual Convention itself. The President and Secretary of ISSS shall constitute at the venue of the Annual Convention nominated as Convenor of the Committee consisting of five members with one of them being nominated as Convenor of the Committee, from among the ISSS members attending the Annual Convention. The award in the form of a citation will be presented in the Concluding Function of the Annual Convention.”

11.12. Any other award which may be proposed in future by the Council, can be considered in a General Body Meeting of the Society, and decision taken thereof.

12.1. The Dr R.V. Tamhane Memorial Lecture
12.1.1. The Lecture, instituted in 1973 by the ISSS out of a donation received from the Dr Tamhane Memorial Committee, shall be delivered each year by an eminent Soil Scientist, irrespective of his/ her nationality and membership of the ISSS, on a topic in Soil Science or kindred branches of science. On the recommendation of the Standing Committee on Technical Programme the Council shall decide about the speaker who will be paid to and fro travelling expenses by train from the place of his/ her residence to the venue of the Annual Convention at which the lecture shall be delivered, and shall also arrange for the boarding and lodging of the speaker.
12.2. The Prof. J.N. Mukherjee _ Indian Society of Soil Science Foundation Lecture
12.2.1. The lecture, instituted in 1983 to commemorate the foundation of ISSS in 1934 and its founder Dr J.N. Mukherjee, shall be delivered each year by an eminent Soil Scientist on a topic related to basic aspects of Soil Science. On the recommendations of the Standing Committee on Technical Programme the Council shall select the speaker. The conditions governing travel support, and local hospitality etc. shall be the same as in the case of Dr R.V. Tamhane Memorial Lecture (Art. 12.1.1).
12.3. Dr. S.P. Raychaudhuri Memorial Lecture
12.3.1. The lecture instituted in 1990 out of a donation received by ISSS will be arranged by a Chapter of ISSS as identified by the Council each year. The Chapter so identified will select the Speaker in consultation with President and Secretary of ISSS; fix the date, time and venue of lecture and arrange for the boarding and lodging of the speaker. Travelling allowance to the Speaker can be paid by the Chapter, provided it is certified by the Speaker that the same is not claimed from any other source. To meet expenses financial support as fixed by the Council will be given by the ISSS to the Organizing Chapter.
12.4. Dr. D.P. Motiramani Memorial Lecture
12.4.1. This lecture instituted in 1994 out of a donation received by ISSS, will also be arranged by a Chapter of ISSS in the same manner as described for Dr. S.P. Raychaudhuri Memorial Lecture above. To meet expenses financial support as fixed by the Council will be given by the ISSS to the Organizing Chapter.
12.5. Dr. B.V. Mehta Memorial Lecture
12.5.1. This lecture instituted in 1997 out of a donation received by ISSS, will also be arranged by a Chapter of ISSS in the same manner as described for Dr. S.P. Raychaudhuri Memorial Lecture above. To meet expenses financial support as fixed by the Council will be given by the ISSS to the Organizing Chapter.
12.6. Dr. N.S. Randhawa Memorial Lecture
12.6.1. This lecture instituted in 1999 out of a donation received by ISSS will also be arranged by a Chapter of ISSS in the same manner as described for Dr. S.P. Raychaudhuri Memorial Lecture above. To meet expenses financial support as fixed by the Council will be given by the ISSS to the Organizing Chapter.
12.7. Dr. R.S. Murthy Memorial Lecture
12.7.1. This lecture instituted in 2002 out of a donation received from the Nagpur Chapter of ISSS, will be arranged by a Chapter of ISSS in the same manner as described for Dr. S.P. Raychaudhuri Memorial Lecture above. To meet expenses financial support as fixed by the Council will be given by the ISSS to the Organizing Chapter.
12.8. Dr. R.R. Agarwal Memorial Lecture
    12.8.1. This lecture instituted in 2003 out of a donation received from the Kanpur Chapter of ISSS, will also be arranged by a Chapter of ISSS in the same manner as described for Dr. S.P. Raychaudhuri Memorial Lecture above. To meet expenses financial support as fixed by the Council will be given by the ISSS to the Organizing Chapter.
12.9. Dr. T.D. Biswas Memorial Lecture
    12.9.1. This lecture instituted in 2006 out of a donation received from the Delhi Chapter of ISSS, will also be arranged by a Chapter of ISSS in the same manner as described for Dr. S.P. Raychaudhuri Memorial Lecture above. To meet all the expenses a token amount as fixed by the Council will be given by the ISSS to the Organizing Chapter.
12.10. Prof. S.K. Mukherjee Memorial Lecture
    12.10.1. This lecture instituted in 2008 out of a donation received from the Kolkata Chapter of ISSS, will also be arranged by a Chapter of ISSS in the same manner as described for Dr. S.P. Raychaudhuri Memorial Lecture above. To meet all the expenses a token amount as fixed by the Council will be given by the ISSS to the Organizing Chapter.
12.11. Dr. G.S. Sekhon Memorial Lecture
    12.11.1. This lecture instituted in 2009 out of a donation received from the Ludhiana Chapter of ISSS, will also be arranged by a Chapter of ISSS in the same manner as described for Dr. S.P. Raychaudhuri Memorial Lecture above. To meet all the expenses a token amount as fixed by the Council will be given by the ISSS to the Organizing Chapter.
12.12. Dr. N.P. Datta Memorial Lecture
    12.12.1. This lecture instituted in 2010 out of a donation received from the Delhi Chapter of ISSS, will also be arranged by a Chapter of ISSS in the same manner as described for Dr. S.P. Raychaudhuri Memorial Lecture above. To meet all the expenses a token amount as fixed by the Council will be given by the ISSS to the Organizing Chapter.
12.13. Dr. S.N. Saxena Memorial Lecture
    12.13.1. This lecture instituted in 2013 out of a donation received from the Udaipur Chapter of ISSS, will also be arranged by a Chapter of ISSS in the same manner as described for Dr. S.P. Raychaudhuri Memorial Lecture above. To meet all the expenses a token amount as fixed by the Council will be given by the ISSS to the Organizing Chapter.
    12.14. Any other special lecture, as and when it is proposed by the Council, can be considered in a General Body Meeting of the ISSS and decision taken thereof.

13.1. The ISSS shall issue or sponsor such publications as in the judgement of the Council will best fulfil the aims and objectives of the ISSS.
13.2. The publications shall include; (a) periodical publication of the Journal of the Indian Society of Soil Science; (b) Newsletter; (c) occasional publication of Bulletins; and (d) others.
13.3. The Council shall have the power to fix rate of subscription to the Journal and price of back volumes of Journal, price of bulletins and other publications, concessional rates to members of the ISSS not in arrears of membership subscription, trade discount to subscription agencies and book sellers, advertisement rates in publications, supply of complimentary copies of the publications, fixing printers and rate of printing, and other financial matters concerned with printing and sale of publications.
13.4. The Secretary, jointly with the Editorial Board, shall have the responsibility of timely publication of the Journal and other publications, and also of improving and maintaining the standard and quality of papers published.
13.5. Except for invited articles, only original papers from members, not in arrears of membership dues, shall be eligible for consideration in the Journal and other publications of the Society.
13.6. The Council shall have power to frame bye-laws in the matters related to publications.

14.1. The financial year of the ISSS shall be from April 1 to March 31 of the following year, both days inclusive.
14.2. The Council is authorized and empowered, to receive and collect dues and other debts of the ISSS, to receive by bequest, donations, grants, or otherwise, either movable or immovable property, and hold the same absolutely or in trust, and to invest, reinvest, and manage the same, and to apply the said property and income accruing therefrom, to the objectives of the ISSS. The Council shall have the power to allocate and expend funds of the ISSS for purpose of carrying out the objectives of the ISSS.
14.3. The funds of the ISSS shall consist of dues from the members and Donor Members, donations, subscription to the Journal, sale proceeds of publications, grant-in-aid, advertisement income, etc.
14.4. The Treasurer, jointly with the Secretary, shall have powers to expend within the limits of approved budget, and in case of unforeseen circumstances contingent expenditure, not exceeding Rs. 1000/- at a time. In case of non-budgeted expenditure, approval of the Council shall be obtained ex-post facto.
14.5. All securities and money which are property of the ISSS shall be lodged for safe custody in the name of the ISSS in such scheduled bank/ banks/ Government of India Undertakings, as approved by the Council. The Treasurer and the Secretary shall jointly operate the bank accounts, deposits with the Government of the India Undertakings, and deal in all Government Securities.
14.6. Term (Fixed) deposits (Long Term Deposits) and their withdrawal shall be done jointly by the Treasurer and Secretary with explicit approval of the Council.
14.7. The Treasurer is authorized to keep with him/ her an imprest advance not exceeding Rs. 10,000/-.
14.8. The cash balance with the ISSS shall not at any time exceed Rs. 10,000/- except under special circumstances.
14.9. Payment of a voucher for Rs. 5000/- and above shall be made by account payee cheque or demand draft. Any deviation shall be recorded on the voucher, stating the reasons therefor.
14.10. The accounts and voucher for receipts and payments shall be subject to scrutiny by the Standing Committee on Budget and Finance . The annual receipts and payments accounts shall be audited by a firm of Chartered Accountants, to be appointed by the Council each year.

15.1. Every member of the Council of the Society shall be indemnified out of the properties and funds of the Society against all losses and expenses incurred in the discharge of his/ her duties, except such as shall happen through his/ her own wilful neglect or dishonesty; and each one shall be chargeable only for such money, fund or property as he/ she shall himself/ herself actually receive in discharge of his/ her duties and each shall be answerable for his/ her own act, and not for that of any other person, not for the insufficiency of any security or other money payable by or to the Society, not for any loss or damage which may happen in the discharge of his/ her duties unless the same shall happen through his/ her own wilful neglect or dishonesty.

16.1. The Council shall make, amend or repeal such Bye-Laws not in conflict with the existing Rules and Regulations of the Society. Such Bye-Laws shall require the assent of one-half of the total number of members of the Council and shall become operative from the date of such assent unless a later date is specified.

17.1. Any amendments, viz., additions to, deletion or alterations in the existing Rules and Regulations of the ISSS shall be done only at the Annual General Body Meeting or at the Extraordinary General Body Meeting, under exceptional circumstances.
17.2. The Secretary shall have the power to propose any amendment. Any petition for amendment in the existing Rules and Regulations of the ISSS and the reasons therefor, shall be submitted in writing to the Secretary under signatures of not fewer than five members of the Council or not fewer than fifty members of the ISSS having voting right. This should be done any time before 31st July any year.
17.3. The proposal(s) for amendment shall be first scrutinized by the Standing Committee on Policy and Bye-Laws. The report of the Standing Committee after due consideration by the Council and recommendations thereof, shall be placed before the Annual General Body Meeting or Extraordinary General Body Meeting as the case may be. The recommendation of the Council shall be carried and declared if accepted by a two-third majority of the members with voting right present and voting.

18.1. The Headquarters of the ISSS shall be in New Delhi, (It is presently located in the National Agricultural Science Centre Complex, Pusa, New Delhi - 110012).

19.1. The Council shall have full powers to do all business in cases of emergency, notwithstanding any limitations herein laid down, and to deal with all matters not otherwise provided for in these Rules and Regulations including making such regulations as may appear conducive to the good administration of the ISSS and the attainment of its objectives, provided always that such regulations be not inconsistent with anything contained in these rules, and that they be reported for information of the next Annual General Body Meeting of the Society, and they be subject to recision or alteration by the Council or any Annual General Body Meeting or Extraordinary General Body Meeting of the Society.