To the Members,
The Sandesh Limited
Your Directors have pleasure in presenting the 72nd Annual Report and
the Audited Financial Statement for the Financial Year ended March 31, 2015.
1. Financial Highlights: |
|
(Rs. In Lacs) |
Particulars |
2014-15 |
2013-14 |
Revenue from operations |
34488.84 |
31318.22 |
Gross Profit of the Company before providing for |
10321.86 |
8347.11 |
Less : |
|
|
Depreciation |
797.80 |
783.88 |
Taxation |
2883.25 |
2242.35 |
Managing Directors Remunerations |
937.20 |
740.16 |
|
4618.25 |
3766.39 |
Net Profit |
5703.61 |
4580.72 |
Add : Last years carried forward balance |
2329.52 |
2103.04 |
|
8033.13 |
6683.76 |
APPROPRIATION |
|
|
Proposed Dividend |
302.78 |
302.78 |
Taxation |
61.63 |
51.46 |
Transfer to General Reserve |
7000.00 |
4000.00 |
Balance carried forwarded to Balance Sheet |
668.72 |
2329.52 |
|
8033.13 |
6683.76 |
DIVIDEND |
|
|
40 % on 7569421 Equity Shares of 10/- each |
302.78 |
302.78 |
(Last year 40% on 7569421 Equity Shares of 10/- each) |
|
|
2. Review of Operation and the state of the Companys affairs:
During the year under review, the income from operations has increased by 10.12% i.e.
from Rs. 31318.22 Lacs to Rs. 34488.84 Lacs, as compared to the previous Financial Year.
Circulation revenue increased by 14.41% i.e. Rs. 1114.11 Lacs during the year from Rs.
7730.73 Lacs to Rs. 8844.84 Lacs. Advertisement Revenue increased by 11.21% i.e. Rs.
2100.13 Lacs during the year from 18735.10 Lacs to Rs. 20835.23 Lacs.
There are no material changes and commitments have occurred after the close of the
financial year till the date of this Report, which affect the financial position of the
Company. The State of Affairs of the Company is presented as part of Management Discussion
and Analysis Report forming part of this Report.
3. Dividend & transfer to reserve:
Your Directors are pleased to recommend dividend of 40% (Rs. 4.00 per equity share of
10/- each), for the Financial Year ended March 31, 2015 (In previous Financial Year
dividend was declared @ 40% i.e. Rs. 4.00 per equity share of Rs. 10/- each). The proposed
dividend payment would entail an outflow of Rs. 364.41 Lacs including Dividend Tax.
Further, the Board has recommended a transfer of Rs. 7000.00 Lacs to the general reserve
and an amount of Rs. 668.72 Lacs is retained as surplus in the Statement of Profit and
Loss.
4. Transfer of Amounts to Investor Education and Protection Fund:
The Company had declared dividend for the Financial Year 2006-07 and amount became due
was transferred to the Investor Education and Protection Fund. The unpaid/unclaimed
dividend for the financial year 2007-2008 will be due for transfer to the "Investor
Education & Protection Fund" established by the Central Government.
5. Directors Responsibility Statement:
Your Companys Directors make the following statement pursuant to Section
134(3)(c) and in terms of sub-section (5) of Section 134 of the Companies Act, 2013 (the
Act) which is to the best of their knowledge and belief and according to the information
and explanations obtained by them:
(a) In the preparation of the annual accounts, the applicable accounting standards have
been followed to the extent applicable to the Company and there are no material departures
in the adoption of the applicable Accounting Standards;
(b) The Directors have selected such accounting policies and applied them consistently
and made judgments and estimates that are reasonable and prudent so as to give a true and
fair view of the state of affairs of the Company at the end of the financial year and of
the profit and loss of the Company for that period;
(c) The Directors have taken proper and sufficient care for the maintenance of adequate
accounting records in accordance with the provisions of the Act for safeguarding the
assets of the Company and for preventing and detecting fraud and other irregularities;
(d) The Directors have prepared the annual accounts on a going concern basis; and
(e) The Directors, have laid down internal financial controls to be followed by the
Company and that such internal financial controls are adequate and were operating
effectively
(f) The Board of Directors has devised proper systems to ensure compliance with the
provisions of all applicable laws and that such systems were adequate and operating
effectively.
6. Board independence:
The provisions of section 149(6) of the Act and the clause 49 of the Listing Agreement
with Stock Exchanges, provides the definition of independent director and
based on the confirmations received from the Independent Directors under the provisions of
section 149(7) of the Act and on evaluation of the relationships disclosed, the following
Non-Executive Directors are considered as Independent Directors:
a) Shri Mukeshbhai Patel |
(DIN 00053892) |
b) Shri Sandeepbhai Singhi |
(DIN 01211070) |
c) Shri Shreyasbhai Pandya |
(DIN 00050244) |
d) Shri Sudhirbhai Nanavati |
(DIN 00050236) |
7. Board Meetings, Board of Directors, Key Managerial Personnel & Committees
of Directors: a) Board meetings:
The Board of Directors of the Company met four (4) times during the Financial
Year 2014-15 and the gap intervening between two (2) meetings of the Board of
Directors is as prescribed in the applicable provisions of the Act. The Corporate
Governance Report contains the details of the Board Meetings held during the Financial
Year under review. b) Appointment & Re-appointment
Smt. Pannaben F. Patel (DIN 00050222) retires by rotation and being eligible, offer
herself for re-appointment at the ensuing Annual General Meeting of the Company.
Your Directors recommend that the resolutions relating to the appointment of Smt.
Pannaben F. Patel (who is liable to retire by rotation), as Director and appointment of
Shri Yogesh Jani as Whole Time Director, liable to retirement by rotation, be passed.
Pursuant to the provisions of Clause 49 of the Listing Agreement, brief resumes of both
the Directors are furnished along with the Explanatory Statement to the Notice to the
Annual General Meeting of the Company.
Pursuant to the provisions of section 161(1) of the Act and the Articles of Association
of the Company, the Board of Directors of your Company, based on the recommendation of the
Nomination & Remuneration Committee, appointed Shri Yogesh Jani as an Additional
Director (designated as Whole Time Director) of the Company effective August 11, 2015 and
he shall hold office up to the date of the ensuing Annual General Meeting. Accordingly,
his candidature for appointment as a Whole Time Director of the Company is included at
Item No. 5 and Item No. 6 of the Notice to the Annual General Meeting. Shri Yogesh Jani is
designated as the Key Managerial Personnel pursuant to the provisions of section 203 of
the Act.
Pursuant to the provisions of sections 149, 150 and 152 of the Act, read with the
Companies (Appointment and qualification of Directors) Rules, 2014 along with Schedule IV
of the Act and the approval of the Members in 71st Annual General Meeting, the
following Non-executive & Independent Directors can hold office for a term of five
consecutive years on the Board of Directors of your Company:
1. Shri Mukeshbhai Patel |
(DIN 00053892) |
2. Shri Sandeepbhai Singhi |
(DIN 01211070) |
3. Shri Shreyasbhai Pandya |
(DIN 00050244) |
4. Shri Sudhirbhai Nanavati |
(DIN 00050236) |
The above Non-executive & Independent Directors shall not be liable to retire by
rotation.
c) Declarations from Independent Directors
The Company has received necessary declaration from each Independent Director of the
Company under the provisions of section 149(7) of the Act, that they meet the criteria of
independence as laid down in section 149(6) of the Act.
d) Familiarization Program
In terms of the provisions of clause 49 of the Listing Agreement with the Stock
Exchanges, the Independent Directors have been familiarized on the Board of the Company by
the functional heads of various departments of the Company which includes detailed
presentations on the vision and mission of the Company, its operations, business plans,
technologies and also future outlook of the entire industry. Details of familiarization
programs extended to the Non-executive & Independent Directors are also disclosed on
the Company website from time to time at
http://www.sandesh.com/Footer/pdf/board_of_directord/ Familiarization%20Program.pdf.
e) Resignation, Cessations and Changes in Directors and Key Managerial Personnel
Shri Falgunbhai C. Patel, Chairman & Managing Director, Shri Parthiv F. Patel,
Managing Director Mr. Sanjay Kumar Tandon, Chief Financial Officer and Mr. Dhaval Pandya,
Company Secretary of the Company were designated as "Key Managerial Personnel"
of the Company pursuant to section 2(51) and section 203 of the Act read with applicable
rules of the Companies (Appointment and Remuneration of Managerial Personnel) Rules, 2014.
None of the Directors and Key Managerial Personnel of the Company has resigned during the
financial year under review.
f) Details of remuneration to directors:
The information relating to remuneration of the Directors as required under the
provisions of section 197(12) of the Act, is given in Annexure D.
g) Board Committees
The Company has the following Committees of the Board of Directors:
1. Audit Committee;
2. Stakeholders Relationship Committee;
3. Corporate Social Responsibility Committee; and
4. Nomination and Remuneration Committee
The Report of Corporate Governance contains the details of the composition of each of
the above Committees, their respective role and responsibilities.
h) Nomination and Remuneration Policy
In terms of the provisions of section 178(4) of the Act, the Board of your Company has,
on recommendation of the Nomination & Remuneration Committee, framed and adopted a
policy for selection and appointment of directors, senior management and their
remuneration. The contents of the said policy are provided in the Corporate Governance
Report.
i) Annual Performance Evaluation by the Board
Pursuant to the provisions of the Act and clause 49 of the Listing Agreement with the
stock exchanges, the Board has carried out an annual evaluation of its performance, the
Directors individually as well as the evaluation of the working of its Committees and the
findings were shared individually with the Board Members as well as the Chairman of the
Company. The manner in which the evaluation was carried out has been explained in the
Corporate Governance Report.
8. Corporate Governance:
Your Company has been practicing the principles of good corporate governance. A
detailed report on corporate governance is available as a separate section in this Annual
Report. Certificate of M/s. Jignesh A. Maniar & Associates, Practicing Company
Secretaries, Ahmedabad, regarding compliance with the conditions stipulated in the
provisions of clause 49 of the Listing Agreement with the stock exchanges is provided
separately under this Annual Report.
9. Audit Committee and its Recommendations:
The Audit Committee has been constituted in accordance with the provision of the Act
and the Rules made thereunder and also in compliance with the provisions of clause 49 of
the Listing Agreement and more details on the Committee are provided in the Corporate
Governance Report. During the year all the recommendations of the Audit Committee were
accepted by the Board of Directors of the Company. The Composition of the Audit Committee
is as described in the Corporate Governance Report.
10. Auditors and Audit Reports: a) Statutory Auditors:
The Companys statutory auditors M/s. Manubhai & Shah (Formerly known as
Manubhai & Co.), (Firm Registration No.106041W) Chartered Accountants, Ahmedabad who
retire at the ensuing Annual General Meeting, have confirmed their eligibility and
willingness to accept office, if their appointment is ratified. The Company has received a
certificate from M/s. Manubhai & Shah, the Statutory Auditors to the effect that their
appointment, if made, would be in accordance with the limits specified under the Act and
that, they meet the criteria of independence. The proposal for their re-appointment is
included in the notice for Annual General Meeting sent herewith. The Auditors Report
for the Financial Year 2014-15 does not contain any qualification, reservation or adverse
remarks.
The Audit Committee and the Board of Directors recommend the appointment of M/s.
Manubhai & Shah, the Statutory Auditors, subject to annual ratification by the
shareholders at every Annual General Meeting and at such remuneration as may be fixed by
the Board of Directors of the Company on the recommendation of the Audit Committee.
b) Auditors Report:
There are no qualifications, reservations or adverse remarks made by M/s. Manubhai
& Shah, the Statutory Auditors in their report for the Financial Year ended March 31,
2015 and the Statutory Auditors have not reported any incident of fraud to the Audit
Committee of the Company in the Financial Year under review. c) Secretarial Auditors:
Pursuant to the provisions of section 204 of the Act and the Companies (Appointment and
Remuneration of Managerial Personnel) Rules, 2014, Secretarial Audit has been carried out
by M/s. Jignesh A. Maniar & Associates, Practicing Company Secretaries, Ahmedabad. The
Report of the Secretarial Audit in Form MR-3 for the Financial Year ended March 31, 2015
is annexed as
Annexure A to the Report. There are no qualifications, reservations or adverse remarks
made by the Secretarial Auditor in his report.
11. Particulars of Employees:
The information required pursuant to the provisions of section 197 (12) of the Act read
with Rule 5(1) of The Companies (Appointment and Remuneration of Managerial Personnel)
Rules, 2014 is provided as Annexure D to this Report.
12. Conservation of Energy, Technology Absorption, Foreign Exchange Earnings and
Outflow:
The particulars as prescribed under Section 134(3)(m) of the Act, read with Rule 8 of
the Companies (Accounts) Rules, 2014, are set out in Annexure C.
13. Management Discussion and Analysis Report:
A detailed chapter on Management Discussion and Analysis; pursuant to the
provisions of clause 49 of the Listing Agreement, is annexed and forms part of this Annual
Report. (Within the limits set by the Companys competitive position)
14. Material changes and commitments affecting the financial position of the Company:
There have been no material changes and commitments, affecting the financial position
of the Company which occurred between the end of the financial year to which the financial
statements relate and the date of this report.
15. Corporate Social Responsibility Initiatives:
Your Company has constituted a Corporate Social Responsibility Committee. The Committee
is constituted to manage and overview the Corporate Social Responsibility program of the
Company. The Corporate Social Responsibility Policy approved by the Board which is
available at the website of the Company at the link:
http://www.sandesh.com/Footer/pdf/CSR%20Policy.pdf. The Annual Report on Corporate Social
Responsibility activities is annexed herewith as Annexure B.
16. Insider Trading Regulations:
In terms of the provisions of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Prohibition
of Insider Trading) Regulations, your Company has formulated a Code of Conduct for
regulating, monitoring and reporting of trading in shares of the Company by the insiders.
The Company has adopted a Code of Conduct for Prohibition of Insider Trading in order to
regulate trading in the shares of the Company by the Directors and designated employees of
the Company.
Further, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Prohibition of Insider Trading)
Regulations, 2015 were notified by the Securities and Exchange Board of India on January
15, 2015 which became effective from May 15, 2015. The new Regulations regulate trading by
insiders and also seek to prohibit insider trading. With the coming into force of the said
Regulations, a revised Code was adopted by the Company. The Company has also prescribed a
Code of practices and procedures of fair disclosures of unpublished price sensitive
information and both Codes are in accordance with the said Regulations. The said Codes
have been uploaded on the website of the Company.
17. Risk Management:
The Board of Directors of the Company has framed and adopted a policy on Risk
Management of the Company. The Company has identified various risks and also has
mitigation plans for each risk identified and it has a comprehensive Risk Management
system which ensures that all risks are timely defined and mitigated in accordance with
the Risk Management Policy.
18. Internal Control Systems and adequacy of Internal Financial Controls:
Your Company has an adequate system of the internal controls to ensure that all its
assets are protected against loss from unauthorised use or disposition and further that
those transactions are authorised, promptly recorded and reported correctly. Adequate
internal financial controls with respect to financial statements are in place. The Company
has documented policies and guidelines for this purpose. Its Internal Control System has
been designed to ensure that the financial and other records are reliable for preparing
financial and other statements and for maintaining accountability of assets.
The internal audit and the management review supplement the process implementation of
effective internal control. The Audit Committee of the Board deals with accounting
matters, financial reporting and internal controls and regularly interacts with the
Statutory Auditors, Internal Auditors and Management in dealing with matters within its
terms of reference. No reportable material weakness in the design or implementation was
observed during the financial year under review.
19. Vigil Mechanism / Whistle Blower Policy
The Board has approved and established a Whistle Blower Policy for the Directors and
employees of the Company to report their genuine concerns and its details are explained in
the Report of the Corporate Governance. The Whistle Blower Policy is available on the
website of the Company to report any genuine concerns about unethical behavior, any actual
or suspected fraud or violation of Companys Code of Conduct.
20. Code of Conduct
The Board has laid down the Code of Conduct for all Board Members and the members of
the senior management of the Company. The said Code is also placed on the website of the
Company. All Board Members and the members of the senior management of the Company have
affirmed compliance with the said Code for the financial year under review. The
Certificate from the Chairman & Managing Director affirming compliance of the said
Code by all the Board Members and the members of senior management of the Company, to whom
the Code is applicable, is attached to the Corporate Governance Report.
21. Extract of Annual Return:
Pursuant to the provisions of section 92(3) of the Act, the extract of the Annual
Return (MGT-9) is annexed herewith as Annexure E as a part of this Report.
22. Litigation:
There was no material litigation outstanding as on March 31, 2015 and the details of
pending litigation including tax matters are disclosed in the Financial Statements.
23. Particulars of Loans, Guarantees and Investments u/s 186 of the Companies Act:
The particulars of loans and guarantees given and the investments made under the
provisions of section 186 of the Act are given separately in the Financial Statements of
the Company read with the Notes to Accounts which may be read in conjunction with this
Report.
24. Particulars of loans, advances, investments outstanding during the financial year:
The Company is not required to make disclosure on particulars relating to loans,
advances and investments outstanding during the Financial Year under the provisions of
clause 32 of the Listing Agreement as it has not made any such loans, advances,
investments during the financial year under review.
25. Particulars of contracts or arrangements with related parties referred to in
section 188(1) in the prescribed form:
All related party transactions that were entered into during the financial year were on
an arms length basis and were in the ordinary course of business. All related party
transactions are placed before the Audit Committee as also the Board for review and
approval. In line with the provisions of the Act and the Listing Agreement, the Company
has formulated a Policy on materiality of Related Party Transactions and also on dealing
with Related Party Transactions and abridged Related Party Transactions Policy is uploaded
on the Companys website and can be accessed at
http://www.sandesh.com/Footer/pdf/RPT%20Policy.pdf.During the year, there were no material
related party transactions. The Register under section 189 of the Act is maintained and
particulars of transactions are entered in the Register, wherever applicable. Further,
suitable disclosure as required by the Accounting Standards (AS18) has been given in the
Notes to the Financial Statements. As there were no materially significant related party
transactions entered into by the Company with the related parties during the financial
year under review, the details of the related party transactions as required under section
134(3)(h) of the Act read with Rule 8 of the Companies (Accounts) Rules, 2014, as
prescribed in Form AOC-2 of the said Rules is not applicable to the Company.
26. Listing Fees:
The Company confirms that it has paid the annual listing fees for the Financial Year
2015-16 to BSE Limited, Mumbai and National Stock Exchange of India Limited, Mumbai.
27. Statutory Disclosures:
The Company has made disclosures in this Report for the items prescribed in section
134(3) of the Act and Rule 8 of the Companies (Accounts) Rules, 2014 to the extent the
transactions took place on those items during the financial year under review. Further, no
disclosure or reporting is required in respect of the following items as there were no
transactions on these items during the Financial Year under review:
a) Public Deposits (Deposit from the public falling within the ambit of section 73
of the Act and the Rules made thereof): The Company has not accepted any deposits from
public and as such, no amount on account of principal or interest on public deposits was
outstanding as on the date of the balance sheet.
b) Issue of equity shares with differential rights as to dividend, voting or
otherwise: The Authorised Share Capital of the Company comprises of 1500000 equity
shares of Rs. 10/- each. The paid up equity share capital of the Company as on March 31,
2015 was Rs. 756.94 Lacs comprising of 7569421 equity shares of Rs. 10/- each. During the
Financial Year under review, the Company has not issued shares with differential voting
rights as to dividend, voting or otherwise.
c) Issue of shares (including sweat equity shares) to employees of the Company under
any scheme: Your Company has not
issued any shares including sweat equity shares to employees of the company under any
scheme during the Financial Year under
review.
d) Neither the Managing Director(s) nor the Whole-time Director(s) of the Company
receive any remuneration or commission from any of its subsidiaries: Your Company does
not have any subsidiary and hence, requirement as to disclosure of receipt of remuneration
or commission by the Managing Director(s) / Whole Time Director(s) from any of
subsidiaries of the Company does not arise.
e) Details of significant and material orders passed by the Regulators / Courts /
Tribunals impacting the going concern status and the Companys operations in future: There
are no significant material orders passed by the Regulators / Courts / Tribunals which
would impact the going concern status of the Company and its future operations.
f) Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal)
Act, 2013 (SHWWA): During the Financial Year under review, there were no cases filed
pursuant to the SHWWA and rules made thereof.
28. Acknowledgments:
Your Directors place on record their sincere appreciation of all the employees of the
Company for their valuable contribution and dedicated service. Your Directors express
their sincere thanks to the esteemed readers, viewers and customers of the Company for
their continued patronage. Your Directors also immensely thanks all the shareholders,
bankers investors, agents, business associates, service providers, vendors and all other
stakeholders for their continued and consistent support to the Company during the
financial year.
|
For and on behalf of the Board of Directors |
|
Falgunbhai C. Patel |
Date : May 26, 2015 |
Chairman & Managing Director |
Place : Ahmedabad |
(DIN 00050174) |