INDIAN ASSOCIATION OF SURGICAL GASTROENTEROLOGY (IASG)
(A Section of Association of Surgeons of India)

Constitution of IASG:

(Approved in September 2004 in Cochin)

Aims & Objectives:

• To promote and encourage development and advancement of Surgical Gastroenterology.
• To encourage and promote clinical and research activities pertaining to Surgical Gastroenterology.
• To arrange regular scientific meetings, symposia and seminars.
• To conduct regional meetings and form state branches to promote Surgical Gastroenterology.
• To work together for mutual benefit with organizations promoting Surgical Gastroenterology both in India and abroad.
• To advise the Association of Surgeons of India on the publication of articles relating to Surgical Gastroenterology in the Indian Journal of Surgery and Tropical Gastroenterology.
• To publish brochures, periodicals, journals and other material pertaining to Surgical Gastroenterology.
• To promote training of medical students (both undergraduate and postgraduate), research fellows and paramedical personnel in various aspects of Surgical Gastroenterology.
• To bring together under one corporate body all qualified medical personnel and scientists practicing or interested in Surgical Gastroenterology.
• Any other program approved by the Association for advancement of Surgical Gastroenterology.

Membership:

Life membership is open only for members of the Association of Surgeons of India who are practicing or interested in Surgical Gastroenterology as per the eligibility criteria below.

Member of ASI and at least one of the following

• M. Ch or DNB or PhD in Surgical Gastroenterology
• Full time faculty member of Dept. of Surgical Gastroenterology (Govt. or Private)
• Three years of experience (after MS) in Dept. of Surgical Gastroenterology
• Faculty member of Dept. of General Surgery for at least 5 years with at least 50% of work in Surgical Gastroenterology (recommended by two IASG members)
• General surgeon (MS/ DNB) for at least 8 years with at least 50% of work in Surgical Gastroenterology (recommended by two IASG members)
• Attended at least 3 IASG National Conferences and presented at least one paper in these
• Published at least 2 papers on topics related to Surgical Gastroenterology in indexed (Index Medicus) journals

Note:

• All applications must carry proof of the above
• Those enrolled under categories d and e above will have to have their applications certified by two existing members of the Section
• The enrolment will be made by the Credentials Committee of IASG in September every year

Honorary membership will be conferred to those who have made outstanding contributions to the cause of Surgical Gastroenterology. Honorary members will be elected by the Executive Committee and approved by the General Body on the recommendations of the Credentials Committee consisting of:

• President
• President Elect
• Immediate Past President
• Secretary, as convener

Finances:

Finances may be raised to achieve any of the aims and objectives by acceptance of gifts, donations in cash or kind with the approval of the Executive Committee. The Financial year for the Association would be from April 1st to March 31st of the following year.

Voting Rights:

Only life members of the IASG and those who have paid their subscriptions to the ASI for the current year will be eligible for voting or to hold office.

Subscription:

Life membership subscription will be Rs. 5,000/- [Five thousand] and is subject to change from time to time by the General Body.

Resignation:

Any member wishing to withdraw from the Section shall give notice in writing to the Secretary, not less than two months before the end of the Section’s financial year. A member will cease to be a member if he ceases to be member of the Association of Surgeons of India at any time.

Office Bearers:

The Section will have following office bearers and members of the Executive Committee.

• President
• President Elect
• Immediate Past President
• Honorary Secretary
• Treasurer
• Joint Secretary
• Executive members (10)

The above office bearers will have full power to act on all matters except to change the constitution of the Section.

Terms of office of Executive Committee:

The members of the Executive Committee will be elected. The term of the office bearers will be as follows:

• President – 1 year
• President Elect – 1 year
• Immediate Past President – 1 year
• Honorary Secretary – 3 years (Eligible for seeking re-election for a maximum of one more term).
• Joint Secretary – 3 years
• Treasurer – (The Treasurer will be a nominated member, nominated by the Executive Committee from the headquarters of the Secretary. He will not be eligible for voting rights.)
• Executive members (10) – for 2 years each (maximum two terms with or without break)

Five members of the executive will retire every year according to their seniority. Election will be held for 5 members of Executive and President-elect every year and for the Secretary and the Joint Secretary every three years.

Election:

All office bearers including executive members (except Treasurer) will be elected by the General Body.

• Nomination for President Elect, and other members of the Executive Committee will be invited four months prior to the General Body meeting by the Secretary.
• Last date for submitting the nominations will be three months before the date of the General Body meeting.
• The nominated candidates and the proposers should be full life members of the Association and Section and should have paid their full dues.
• Withdrawal will be allowed till 15 days after the last date for nominations.
• Election, if necessary, will be held before the General Body meeting by secret ballot. The President Elect will be the Election Officer.
• If no nominations are received by the last date for any post, the secretary will recall nominations during the General Body Meeting.

Executive Committee:

The committee will physically meet at least once a year at the National Conference at the call of the President. The President or in his absence the President Elect, shall preside at the Committee meeting and shall have a casting vote. In addition, there will be electronic meetings at least at three monthly intervals. The quorum for the Executive Committee will be one third of the total number of members. The annual report of the Section and the annual statement of accounts would be presented at the annual General Body meeting.

Meetings:

• The Annual General Body meeting will be held each year at the time and place of the National Conference of the Indian Association of Surgical Gastroenterology. If the quorum is incomplete the meeting shall stand adjourned and will be reconvened after 10 minutes and the number of members present shall consider the specific agenda only.
• Extraordinary meetings of the Section may be called by the President as and when necessary.

Amendments of Rules and Regulations:

Amendments of rules and regulations can be proposed by the Executive Committee to the General Body. The proposed amendments will be passed in the annual General Body meeting by at least two-thirds of the total eligible members present in the meeting. It will then be circulated by the Secretary to all members for approval. At the end of a one-month period from the date of circulation, if objections received by the Hony. Secretary are less than 25% of the registered members of the Section, then the amendment will be deemed to be effective. In case the objections are received from more than 25% of the members, the amendment would be considered to have failed.

Funds and Estates of the Section:

The funds and estates of the Section shall be derived from the annual subscription of members, grants, donations, and other endowments accepted by the Executive Committee on behalf of the Section. They should be administered by the President, Secretary and Treasurer acting on instructions from the Executive Committee for the furtherance of the objectives of the Section.

An account in the name of the Section shall be opened in the bank, which will be operated by any two of the following members: President, Secretary and Treasurer. Any expense more than Rs. 10,000.00 will require prior approval of the President. Amounts less than this can be operated for day to day expenses by the Secretary and Treasurer subject to post facto approval of the President.

Accounting year of the Section shall be from 1 April till 31 March.

The accounts of the Section shall be audited annually and a report and a budget made by the Treasurer shall be presented to the Annual General Meeting of the Section.

The Executive Committee shall have the power to appoint auditors and other experts according to the needs of the Section and decide the payments of such experts. The Executive Committee shall have the power to invest, deposit the money or open separate accounts in banks as per need.

Duties and Powers of General Body:

• To conduct all activities of the Section in ordinary and extraordinary meetings.
• To elect, suspend or remove the office bearers of the Section. For removal of an elected office bearer, an extra-ordinary meeting of the General body will be called by the President on receipt of a written request signed by not less than one third of the members of the general body. At this meeting, a vote of more than 50% of the total membership is required to remove an office bearer.
• To receive from the Executive Committee a report of the working of the Section for the preceding year together with receipts and expenditure, assets and liabilities and to consider the same.
• At all meetings, annual general, adjourned or extraordinary general meeting, the President or President elect of the Section shall preside. In the absence of both, members shall choose one from amongst the Executive Committee to be the President of the meeting who shall for the time being exercise all rights and privileges of the President.

Extraordinary General Body Meeting:

Extraordinary General Body meeting may be called by the President or in his absence by the President Elect upon the request of the Executive Committee or the request of 1/3 of the members of the section. Request for such a meeting must state its objectives and must be signed by the requisitionists and be deposited with the Hon. Secretary of the Section.

The notice for EGM will be sent to each member along with the copy of the notice of requisitionists and the agenda for the EGM. The members can send their votes “for” or “against” each item of requisition by registered post, to the Secretary. This must reach the Secretary seven days before the date of EGM. These votes will be placed before the President at the time of EGM. The Secretary will make a list of members who had sent postal ballots. The Secretary’s report of the EGM will be accompanied by a copy of this list.

Notice of Meetings:

The Secretary shall give the notice of the meeting provided that the period of notice will be as follows:

• Scientific and general meetings not less than two calendar months.
• Executive Committee meetings not less than four weeks, extraordinary meetings not less than two weeks. Notice for extraordinary meeting will be sent within two weeks of receipt of request.

Vacancies:

• In the event of a vacancy of the office of the President, the President Elect will take over the office of the President for the remaining period of tenure.
• In the event of vacancy occurring in the office of the Secretary, the Joint Secretary will take over the functions of the Secretary.
• In the event of a casual vacancy occurring because death, resignation of a member, the Executive Committee shall have power to fill up such vacancy by co-option and such co-opted member or members shall hold office till the next annual election.

Functions of the Executive Committee:

The Executive Committee shall have the following functions and powers:

• To receive and dispose of the applications for membership and resignations.
• To take all steps necessary for the administration of the Institutions under the control of the section and to appoint, employ, dismiss, suspend staff as also to appoint, employ or remove agents, lawyers, attorneys, architects, valuers for any of the purposes of the Section.
• To regulate and sanction an expenditure, which the Committee may consider to be necessary or desirable in furthering the objectives of the Section.
• To accept donations, subscriptions, endowments for any specific purposes consistent with the objectives of the Section and or accept donations, endowments, gifts earmarked for buildings, with a view to perpetuate the memory of any person or persons whose memory the donor may like to perpetuate with objectives not inconsistent with the objectives of Section.
• To make by laws and rules not inconsistent with these rules.
• To appoint sub-committees if necessary from out of the members of the Section for any specific purpose and to fix the scope of activities of these sub-committees. The Secretary or the Joint Secretary of the Section shall be ex-officio members of such sub-committees.

Functions of the Office Bearers of the Society:

President:

• Shall preside at and conduct meetings of the Section and its Executive Committee and shall have a casting vote.
• Shall supervise the general activities of the Section.
• Shall exert himself to improve the finances of the Section.
• May appoint sub-committees when necessary with terms of references as decided by the Section or the Executive Committee.
• Shall have the right to call Executive Committee and General Body meeting in times of emergency.

President Elect:

• Shall preside and conduct the meetings of the Section and its Executive Committee in the absence of the President.

Secretary:

• Shall call meetings of the Executive Committee whenever necessary (minimum once a year), or on a written requisition of not less than 4 members of the Executive Committee or not less than 1/3 of the required members to hold an extraordinary meeting of the General Body.
• Shall prepare agenda for and keep a record of the minutes of the meetings of the Executive Committee and the General Body.
• Shall see that decisions made by the Executive Committee are carried out by the persons concerned.
• Shall carry on all correspondence on behalf of the Section.
• Shall prepare and present an annual report of the Section.
• Shall organize activities for the fulfilment of the aim and objectives of the Section.
• May call for from any office bearer, any paper pertaining to the work of the Section, for inspection and necessary action.
• Shall take steps to improve the funds of the Section.
• Shall issue notices for the meetings (postal information will be enough).

Joint Secretary:

• Shall, in the absence of the Secretary, have the powers, rights and duties as those of the Secretary.
• Shall assist the Secretary in day-to-day business.

Treasurer:

• Will arrange collection of funds necessary for maintenance of Section and its activities and keep them in deposit with a bank approved by the Section.
• Shall issue receipts for all values received for the Section.
• Shall keep bills or vouchers and payee’s receipts whenever possible for payments made by him/her and maintain a regular record of Section accounts.
• Shall operate accounts of the Section jointly with the Secretary of the Section.
• Shall prepare and make available to the Secretary the annual statements of income and expenditure for the annual report.
• Will be authorized to make expenses available to members for scientific, academic and administrative activities of the Section.

The local Organizing Secretary of any Conference/ Workshop/ CME organized under the auspices of the Association shall submit the audited account within six months of the Conference/Workshop. Rs 100 per registered delegate (for the Workshop, CME and Conference) shall be deposited with the Indian Association of Surgical Gastroenterology

Constitutional Amendment 2017
Membership:

Creation of Category of Associate Membership:

• The Executive Committee and General Body has approved on 8th October, 2016 the Ássociate Membership. Any surgeon who has eligible criteria mentioned in the existing constitution can become Associate Member without becoming member of Association of Surgeons of India. The Associate member will have all the privileges of Full member except contesting or holding any administrative post in IASG. Associate Member can convert his membership to Full life member after becoming an ASI Member

Addition of Eligibility Criteria:

• Any trainee in Surgical Gastroenterology, M.Ch or DNB (Should produce documentary evidence from the HOD) is eligible to become member of IASG

Veerabhai JR Das Agarwal Oration:

The Oration can be delivered by any Full time member of the Indian Association of Surgical Gastroenterology. Leadership IASG to develop the guidelines. President IASG will deliver the ‘Presidential Address’.

Election for Office Bearers:

Online elections will be conducted before the annual conference, after the facilities are made available.