Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934
45-I. Definitions
In this chapter, unless the context otherwise requires-
25 [(a) "business of a non-banking financial
institution" means carrying on of the business of a financial institution
referred to in clause (c) and includes business of a non-banking financial
company referred to in clause (f);]
26 [(aa)] "company" means a company as defined in
section 3 of the Companies Act, 1956 (1 of 1956) and includes a foreign company
within the meaning of section 591 of that Act;
(b) "corporation" means a corporation incorporated by
an Act of any Legislature;
20 [(bb) "deposit" includes and shall be deemed
always to have included any receipt of money by way of deposit or loan or in
any other form, but does not include,-
(i) amounts raised by way of share capital;
(ii) amounts contributed as capital by
partners of a firm;
(iii) amounts received from a scheduled bank
or a co-operative bank or any other banking company as defined in clause (c) of
section 5 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 (10 of 1949);
(iv) any amount received from,-
(a) the Development
Bank,
(b) a State Financial
Corporation,
(c) any financial institution specified in or
under section 6A of the Industrial Development Bank of India Act, 1964 (18 of
1964), or
(d) any other institution that may be
specified by the Bank in this behalf;
(v) amounts received in the ordinary course of
business, by way of-
(a) security deposit,
(b) dealership
deposit,
(c) earnest money, or
(d) advance against
orders for goods, properties or services;
(vi) any amount received from an individual or
a firm or an association of individuals not being a body corporate, registered
under any enactment relating to money lending which is for the time being in
force in any State; and
(vii) any amount received by way of
subscriptions in respect of a chit.
Explanation I: "Chit" has the meaning
assigned to it in clause (b) of section 2 of the Chit Funds Act, 1982 (40 of
1982).
Explanation II: Any credit given by a seller to a buyer
on the sale of any property (whether movable or immovable) shall not be deemed
to be deposit for the purposes of this clause;
(c) "financial institution" means any non-banking
institution which carries on as its business or part of its business any of the
following activities, namely :-
(i) the financing, whether by way of making
loans or advances or otherwise, of any activity other than its own;
(ii) the acquisition of shares, stock, bonds,
debentures or securities issued by a government or local authority or other
marketable securities of a like nature;
(iii) letting or delivering of any goods to a
hirer under a hire-purchase agreement as defined in clause (c) of section 2 of
the Hire-Purchase Act, 1972 (26 of 1972);
(iv) the carrying on of any class of insurance
business;
(v) managing, conducting or supervising, as
foreman, agent or in any other capacity, of chits or kuries as defined in any
law which is for the time being in force in any State, or any business, which
is similar thereto;
(vi) collecting, for any purpose or under any
scheme or arrangement by whatever name called monies in lump sum or otherwise,
by way of subscriptions or by sale of units, or other instruments or in any
other manner and awarding prizes or gifts, whether in cash or kind, or
disbursing monies in any other way, to persons from whom monies are collected
or to any other person,
27 [but does not include any institution, which carries on as
its principal business,-
(a) agricultural operations; or
(aa) industrial activity; or;]
(b) the purchase or sale of any goods (other
than securities) or the providing of any services; or
(c) the purchase, construction or sale of
immovable property, so, however, that no portion of the income of the
institution is derived from the financing of purchases, constructions or sales
of immovable property by other persons;
25 [Explanation : For the purposes of
this clause, "industrial activity" means any activity specified in
sub-clauses (i) to (xviii) of clause (c) of section 2 of the Industrial
Development Bank of India Act, 1964 (18 of 1964)];
(d) "firm" means a firm as defined
in the Indian Partnership Act, 1932 (9 of 1932);
(e) "non-banking institution" means
a company, corporation or co-operative society.
25 [(f) "non-banking financial
company" means-
(i) a financial
institution which is a company;
(ii) a non banking institution which is a
company and which has as its principal business the receiving of deposits,
under any scheme or arrangement or in any other manner, or lending Tiny manner;
(iii) such other non-banking institution or
class of such institutions, as the bank may, with the previous approval of the
Central Government and by notification in the Official Gazette, specify.]