Dear Members,
Your Directors have pleasure in presenting the Seventeenth Annual Report of CMS Info
Systems Limited (the Company' or CMS') together with the Audited
Standalone and Consolidated Financial Statements for the financial year ended March 31,
2024.
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
Summary of the Company's financial performance on Standalone and Consolidated basis
during the financial year ended March 31, 2024 was as follows:
( Rs. in Million)
|
Standalone |
|
Consolidated |
Particulars |
2024 |
2023 |
2024 |
2023 |
Revenue from Operations |
20,468.38 |
17,038.04 |
22,646.77 |
19,147.30 |
Total Expenditure |
16,657.92 |
13,655.00 |
18,316.33 |
15,284.31 |
Net Profit Before tax |
4,588.69 |
3,650.81 |
4,670.59 |
4,010.17 |
Profit for the year |
3,542.18 |
2,754.07 |
3,471.41 |
2,972.36 |
Equity Share Capital |
1,627.62 |
1,544.00 |
1,627.62 |
1,544.00 |
Other Equity |
17,263.68 |
13,423.11 |
17,839.97 |
14,080.55 |
Net Block |
7,270.26 |
7,527.17 |
8,358.81 |
8,693.31 |
Net Current Assets |
9,542.01 |
6,001.68 |
10,665.56 |
7,139.78 |
Cash and Cash Equivalents (including bank balances) |
2,388.59 |
1,047.55 |
2,670.14 |
1,562.52 |
Earnings per Share |
|
|
|
|
(Basic) (in Rs.) |
22.67 |
17.90 |
22.22 |
19.31 |
(Diluted) (in Rs.) |
21.82 |
17.30 |
21.39 |
18.67 |
During the financial year 2023-24, the Company continued on its robust growth path and
was successful in delivering yet another year of strong Operational and Financial
performance. The Standalone revenue from operations at Rs. 20,468.38 million represents an
increase of over 20.13 %. During the year under review, the Company has reported a
Profit before Tax of Rs. 4,588.69 million on standalone basis as compared to Rs.
3,650.81 million in FY23. Net profit grew to Rs. 3,542.18 million in 2023-24 from
Rs. 2,754.07 million in 2022-23 thereby registering a robust growth of 28.62%.
Further, the Company's consolidated revenue from operations is Rs. 22,646.77 million,
representing an increase of 18.28 % over FY23. During the year under review, the Company
has reported a consolidated
Profit before Tax ofRs. 4,670.59 million as compared to Rs. 4,010.17 million in FY23.
Consolidated Net profit of Rs. 3471.41 million for the FY24 is higher by 16.79% over FY23.
The Standalone basic EPS of the Company stood at
Rs. 22.67 for the financial year ended March 31, 2024 as against Rs. 17.90 for the
financial year ended March 31, 2023 and diluted EPS stood at Rs. 21.82 as against
Rs. 17.30 in FY23.
BUSINESS OVERVIEW / COMPANY'S PERFORMANCE
CMS is one of the leading business services company providing logistics and technology
solutions to banks, financial institutions, organized retail, and e-commerce companies in
India. The Company facilitates financial inclusion in the economy by providing access to
formal banking services and facilitating seamless cash-based payments for Indians.
CMS operates in two major business segments
1. Cash Logistics
2. Managed Services
CASH LOGISTICS
CMS continues to be the market leader in Cash Logistics with pole position across all
segments of the industry, viz., ATM Cash Management, Retail Cash
Management (RCM) and Cash-in-Transit (CIT). The
Company has around 40% revenue share of the total organized cash logistics market in
India.
We continue to see healthy growth in volume as well as realizations across all our Cash
Logistics business.
Our total business points for cash logistics (across
ATM and retail) have grown from 124,000 in March 2023 to 137,000 by March 2024, which
translates to an annual growth in excess of 10%.
MANAGED SERVICES BUSINESS
Our Managed Services business was incubated around ten years ago riding on CMS'
strength in the Cash Logistics business. Over the years, we have built capabilities across
software, banking automation and integrated ATM-as-a-service offerings. CMS, with its
enhanced competitiveness across the value chain and integrated offering that also includes
a ATM manufacturing facility in Chennai and in-house AIoT Remote Monitoring Solution
stack, has been able to register its best-ever year for new order wins in the financial
year 2024, clocking orders aggregating to
Rs. 18,500 million in Managed Services and Technology
Solutions. This represents nearly doubling of the order wins during financial year
2024.
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 have occurred between the end of the financial year and the date of this
Report.
DIVIDEND DISTRIBUTION POLICY
The Company has formulated and adopted its Dividend Distribution Policy in compliance
with the requirements of regulation 43A of the SEBI
(Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements)
Regulations, 2015 ("SEBI Listing Regulations"). Pursuant to the Policy, the
Board shall determine the dividend for a particular period based on available financial
resources, business requirements and taking into account optimal shareholder return, and
other parameters described in this policy.
A copy of the same is available on the Company's Website at www.cms.com.
DIVIDEND AND TRANSFER TO RESERVES
During the financial year 2024, the Board of Directors of the Company had in its
meeting held on January
24, 2024, declared an interim dividend of Rs. 2.50 per equity share on face value of
Rs.10/- each. The same was paid to all the members who held shares of the
Company as on the record date of February 6, 2024.
Considering the impressive performance and a robust cash flow, the Board has now
recommended a further final Dividend of Rs. 3.25 (32.50%) per equity share of the
face value of Rs. 10/- each out of the Profits for the financial year ended March 31,
2024. The dividend, if approved by the shareholders at the ensuing Annual General Meeting
of the Company, shall be payable to those Shareholders whose names appear in the register
of Members as on May 28, 2024, which has been fixed as the Record Date the purpose.
Consequent to the above the total dividend declared by the Company during the year will
amount to
Rs. 5.75/- per equity share on face value of Rs.10/- each i.e., 57.50% for the
financial year ended March 31, 2024, which is in alignment with the Dividend
Distribution Policy of the Company.
The Board does not propose to transfer any amount to the General Reserves for the
financial year ended March 31, 2024.
SUBSIDIARIES
As on March 31, 2024, the Company had following
6 subsidiaries:
1. Securitrans India Private Limited
2. CMS Securitas Limited
3. CMS Marshall Limited
4. Quality Logistics Services Private Limited
5. Hemabh Technology Private Limited
6. CMS Info Foundation (a non-profit organization incorporated under Section 8 of the
Companies
Act, 2013)
The Company did not have any joint venture/associate Company(ies) as on March 31, 2024.
During the year under review, none of the Companies ceased to be a subsidiary of the
Company.
In compliance with Section 129(3) of the Companies Act, 2013 ("Act") the
consolidated financial statements of the Company for the FY24 prepared in accordance with
Ind AS 110-Consolidated Financial Statements and "SEBI Listing Regulations" is
enclosed as a part of this Annual Report.
Further the salient features of financial statements, performance and financial
position of each of the subsidiaries pursuant to the first proviso to Section 129(3) of
the Act and Rule 5 and Rule 8(1) of the Companies (Accounts) Rules, 2014, is annexed with
the Financial Statements of the Company in prescribed Form AOC -1.
The complete Audited Financial Statements of the Subsidiaries are available on the
Company's website at www.cms.com.
MATERIAL SUBSIDIARY
The Company has formulated a Policy for determining Material Subsidiaries and the
Policy is available on the website of the Company at www.cms.com. Pursuant to the said
Policy, Securitrans India Private Limited was deemed to be a material subsidiary of the
Company during the financial year 2024.
However, income and net worth (i.e. paid up capital and free reserves) of Securitrans
India Private Limited fell below 10% of the consolidated income and net worth of the
Company as on March 31,2024. Accordingly, Securitrans India Private Limited has ceased to
be a material subsidiary of CMS Info Systems Limited for the financial year 2025.
SHARE CAPITAL
The paid-up share capital of the Company was Rs. 1,627,622,910/- divided into
162,762,291 equity shares of Rs. 10/- each, as on March 31, 2024.
During the year under review, the paid-up equity share capital of the Company has
increased from
Rs. 1,544,000,780/- to Rs. 1,627,622,910/- consequent to issue of additional equity
shares under Employee Stock Option Plans (ESOP) of the Company to the eligible employees.
The details of allotment made during the financial year 2024 was as under:
Sr. No. Particulars of allotment of equity shares |
Number of Shares |
Date of Allotment |
Cumulative number of Shares |
Equity share capital as on April 1, 2023 |
|
|
154,400,078 |
1. Pursuant to exercise of options |
1,785,846 |
August 18, 2023 |
156,185,924 |
2. Pursuant to exercise of options |
325,000 |
August 26, 2023 |
156,510,924 |
3. Pursuant to exercise of options |
178,700 |
January 03, 2024 |
156,689,624 |
4. Pursuant to exercise of options |
5,966,667 |
February 28, 2024 |
162,656,291 |
5. Pursuant to exercise of options |
106,000 |
March 06, 2024 |
162,762,291 |
Equity share capital as on March 31, 2024 |
|
|
162,762,291 |
During the year under review, the Company has not issued any shares with differential
voting rights. The Company does not have any scheme to fund its employees to purchase the
equity shares of the Company.
EMPLOYEE STOCK OPTIONS
In order to align employee rewards with the Company's long-term growth and shareholder
value creation and also to attract, retain and motivate the best available talent, the
members of the Company, at the General Meetings of the Company held on
October 20, 2016 and May 20, 2023, had approved the following Employee Stock Option
Plans, on the recommendation of the Board: (i) CMS CEO Stock Option Plan, 2016 (ii) CMS
Management Stock Option Plan 2016 (iii) CMS Employees Stock Option Plan 2016 and (iv) CMS
Employees Stock Option Plan 2023
The above Schemes are in compliance with the requirements of Securities and Exchange
Board of India (Share Based Employee Benefits and Sweat Equity) Regulations, 2021
("SEBI SBEBSE Regulations"). The Nomination and Remuneration Committee of the
Board of Directors of the Company, inter-alia, administers and monitors the
Stock Option Plans of the Company.
All Options granted under the CMS Managment
Stock Option has vested and was fully exercised during the financial year 2023-24.
Further, the details, inter alia, prescribed under SEBI SBEBSE
Regulations are available on the Company's website www.cms.com.
FIXED DEPOSITS
During the year under review, the Company has not invited, accepted or renewed any
fixed deposits from the Public within the meaning of Section 73 and
76 of the Act read with Companies (Acceptance of
Deposits) Rules, 2014.
PARTICULARS OF LOANS, GUARANTEES OR INVESTMENTS UNDER SECTION 186 OF THE COMPANIES ACT,
2013
The Company did not give any Loans, Guarantees or make any investments under Section
186 of the Act, otherwise than to its wholly-owned subsidiaries. The particulars of loans
and guarantees given, investments made and/ or securities provided by the
Company during the year under review are given in the Notes to the Standalone Financial
Statements forming part of the Annual Report.
BORROWINGS
The Company did not have any borrowings outstanding as at the end of FY24. CMS continue
to focus on managing cash efficiently and ensured that it had adequate non fund based
limits (such as Bank guarantee) from Company's Bankers to facilitate smooth functioning
and growth of the business.
CAPITAL EXPENDITURE
Capital Expenditure incurred during the year aggregated to Rs. 1,083.85 million.
CREDIT RATING
During the year, ICRA Limited, an independent and professional investment Information
and Credit Rating
Agency, reaffirmed the Credit Ratings assigned to various Fund based/Non-Fund based
credit limits availed by the Company as "[ICRA]" AA+, Stable / [ICRA] A1+. The
outlook also remained Stable.
PARTICULARS OF CONTRACTS OR ARRANGEMENTS WITH RELATED PARTIES REFERRED TO IN SECTION
188(1) OF THE COMPANIES ACT, 2013
The Company has in place a robust process for approval of Related Party Transactions
and on dealing with Related Parties. The Policy on Materiality of Related Party
Transactions and on dealing with Related Party Transactions as approved by the
Board is available on the Company's website and can be accessed at
https://www.cms.com/corporate. governance/index
A vast majority of the Related Party Transactions undertaken by the Company were with
its wholly owned subsidiaries.Duringfinancial year 2024, all the transactions undertaken
by the Company with related parties were in the ordinary course of the business and on the
arm's length basis, the particulars of which are reported in the Notes to the Standalone
Financial Statements. Further the Company did not enter into any material contracts or
arrangement or transactions with any of the related parties as referred to in subSection
(1) of Section 188 of the Act. Hence disclosure of Related Party Transaction as mandated
pursuant to clause (h) of sub-Section (3) of Section 134 of the Act and Rule 8(2) of the
Companies (Accounts) Rules, 2014 is not applicable to the Company.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
BOARD COMPOSITION
As on March 31, 2024, the Board of Directors of the Company comprises of Six (6)
Directors consisting of a Woman Non-executive Chairperson, Executive Vice-Chairman,
Whole-time Director & CEO, two (2) Non-executive Non Independent Directors and two (2)
Independent Directors (out of which 1 is Woman Director). The constitution of the Board of
the Company is in compliance with Section 149 of the Act and Regulation 17 of the SEBI
Listing Regulations. During the year under review, based on the recommendation of
Nomination & Remuneration
Committee and approval of the Board, Ms. Sayali Karanjkar (DIN: 07312305) was re -
appointed as Non executive Independent Director of the Company for a further term of 2
years i.e., from January 1, 2024 to December 31, 2025. Her re-appointment was thereafter
approved by the members of the Company by way of postal ballot on March 2, 2024.
During the year under review, Mrs. Manju Agarwal
(DIN: 06921105) resigned as Non-executive
Independent Director and Mr. Ashish Agrawal (DIN:
00163344) resigned as Non executive Director due to their personal commitments and
preoccupation with other professional commitments respectively, both with effect from
March 1, 2024. The Board places on record its sincere appreciation for the significant and
valuable contributions made by Mrs. Agarwal and Mr. Agrawal during their tenure as
Directors of the Company.
Pursuant to the provisions of Section 152 (6) of the Act, Mr. Krzysztof Wieslaw Jamroz
(DIN: 07462321), Non-executive Director who has been, being longest in office is liable to
retire by rotation, and being eligible has offered himself for re-appointment. In view of
the valuable contributions made by Mr. Jamroz during his past association with the
Company, the Board recommends the re-appointment of Mr. Jamroz as a Non-executive
Non-Independent Director of the Company, whose office shall be liable for determination by
way of retirement of Directors by rotation.
Other than the above, there were no change in the composition of Board of Directors
during financial year 2024.
On the basis of the written representations received from the Directors, none of the
above Directors is disqualified under Section 164 (2) of the Act.
DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
The Company has received declarations from all the Independent Directors confirming
that they continue to meet the criteria of Independence as prescribed under Section 149(6)
of the Act and the Regulation 16(1)(b) of SEBI Listing Regulations as amended. The
Independent Directors have also confirmed that they have registered their names in the
data bank maintained with the Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs.
The Independent Directors of the Company had no pecuniary relationship or transaction
with the Company, other than receiving the sitting fees, commission and reimbursement of
expenses if any incurred by them for the purpose of attending meetings of the
Board/Committees of the Company. In the opinion of the Board, there has been no change in
the circumstances which may affect the status of Independent Directors of the Company and
the
Board is satisfied of their integrity, expertise, and experience including proficiency
in terms of Section 150(1) of the Act and applicable rules thereunder.
PERFORMANCE EVALUATION
Pursuant to the provisions of the Act and the SEBI Listing Regulations, the Board has
carried out an annual evaluation of its own performance and that of its Committees as well
as performance of all the Directors individually, including Independent Directors,
Chairman of the Board.
Feedback was sought by way of a Structured
Questionnaire covering various aspects of the Board's functioning, such as, adequacy of
the composition of the Board and its Committees, Board Culture, execution and performances
of Specific duties, obligations and governance.
The performance evaluation of the Non-Independent Directors including the Chairperson
of the Company and performance of the Board as a whole was also discussed at the separate
meeting of the Independent
Directors held on March 27, 2024.
The Board members expressed satisfaction about the transparency in terms of disclosures
and updating the Independent Directors on key topics impacting the Company.
POLICY ON DIRECTORS' APPOINTMENT AND REMUNERATION
Policy on Directors' appointment and remuneration including criteria for determining
qualifications, positive attributes, independence of a Director and other matters provided
under Section 178(3) of the
Act forms part of the Nomination and Remuneration Policy of the Company. A copy of the
Policy is available on the website of the Company and can be accessible at
https://www.cms.com/corporate. governance/index
MEETINGS OF BOARD OF DIRECTORS
During the financial year 2023-24, four (4) meetings of the Board of Directors of the
Company were held on the following dates:
1. May 23, 2023
2. July 21, 2023
3. October 25, 2023
4. January 24, 2024
The intervening gaps between two consecutive meetings were within the period prescribed
under the Act, Secretarial Standards on Board Meetings and SEBI Listing Regulations as
amended from time to time.
The Board has also constituted various Committees to undertake roles as per the
respective terms of reference. The details about constitution and role of various
Committees are covered in the Corporate Governance report which forms part of this Boards
Report.
AUDIT COMMITTEE
In compliance with the requirements under Section
177(8) read with Section 134(3) of the Act and the rules framed thereunder, the Board
of Directors of the Company has constituted an Audit Committee, the composition and terms
of reference which are in alignment with the requirements of the Act and the SEBI Listing
Regulations. Further details on
Audit Committee are given in Corporate Governance Report forming part of this Report.
KEY MANAGERIAL PERSONNEL
Pursuant to the provisions of Section 203 of the Act, the Key Managerial Personnel of
the Company as on
March 31, 2024 were as under:
? Mr. Rajiv Kaul, Executive Vice-Chairman, Whole-time Director & CEO
? Mr. Pankaj Khandelwal, President & Chief Financial Officer
Mr. Debashis Dey, Company Secretary & Compliance Officer During the year,
Mr. Praveen Soni resigned as Company
Secretary & Compliance Officer of the Company after the close of working hours on
September 30, 2023 to pursue career opportunities in the practicing side of the
profession. In view of the same Mr. Debashis Dey, a senior associate member of the
institute of Company Secretaries of India, was appointed as a Company Secretary &
Compliance Officer in his place. The Board places on record its appreciation for the
valuable contributions made by Mr. Soni during his association with the Company.
PARTICULARS OF EMPLOYEES
Disclosure pertaining to remuneration and other details as required under Section 197
(12) of the Act, read with Rule 5(1) of the Companies (Appointment and Remuneration of
Managerial Personnel) Rules,
2014 forms part of the Boards Report as Annexure 3. The statement required under
Section 197(12) of the Act read with Rule 5(2) and 5(3) of the Companies
(Appointment and Remuneration of Managerial
Personnel) Rules, 2014, is provided in a separate annexure forming part of this report.
However, pursuant to second proviso to Section 136(1) of the Act, the Annual Report is
being sent to the
Members excluding the aforesaid Statement. Any
Shareholder interested in obtaining the copy of said statement may write to the Company
Secretary at the Registered Office of the Company at T-151, 5th Floor, Tower
No. 10, Sector-11, Railway Station Complex, CBD Belapur, Navi Mumbai - 400614, e-mail
ID: company.secretary@cms.com.
COMPLIANCE WITH SECRETARIAL STANDARDS
During the financial year 2024, the Company has duly complied with the applicable
mandatory Secretarial
Standards i.e., SS-1 relating to "Meetings of the Board of Directors" and
SS-2 relating to "General Meetings" issued by the Institute of Company
Secretaries of India (ICSI).
CMS strives to voluntarily comply with all the non-mandatory secretarial standards
(i.e. SS-3 to SS-10), to the extent applicable to the Company.
MANAGEMENT DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS REPORT
In terms of Regulation 34 of SEBI Listing Regulations, a separate Section on Management
Discussion and Analysis Report for the financial year 2024, is appended to this Boards
Report.
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
CMS is fully committed to follow good Corporate Governance practices and maintain the
highest business standards in conducting business and has complied with the Corporate
Governance requirements as per SEBI Listing Regulations. The
Company has adopted high standards of Corporate
Governance with a very competent Board having diverse experience.
A separate section on Corporate Governance stipulated under Regulation 34 of SEBI
Listing Regulations forms part of this Boards Report. A Certificate fromM/s. M. Siroya and
Company, Secretarial Auditors of the Company confirming
compliancetotheconditionsofCorporateGovernance as stipulated under the SEBI Listing
Regulations, is also appended as an Annexure to the said Corporate
Governance Report.
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
As required under the provisions of Act, the Company has constituted a Corporate Social
Responsibility (CSR) Committee. Mr. Rajiv Kaul, Executive Vice-Chairman, Whole-time
Director & CEO is the
Chairman of CSR Committee and Mrs. Shyamala Gopinath, Ms. Sayali Karanjkar and Mr.
Krzysztof
Wieslaw Jamroz are presently the members of the
CSR Committee.
The CSR Committee has formulated a CSR policy and has approved the activities
undertaken by the
Company during financial year 2024 on various projects specified under Schedule VII of
the Act. For further details regarding the CSR Committee, please refer to the Corporate
Governance Report, which forms a part of this report.
During the year under review, the Company was required to spend an amount of Rs. 59.79
million
(2% of the average net profit of last three financial years as determined under section
198 of the Act.) on CSR activities and the Company has spent
Rs. 41.11 million on the various CSR activities during the year. The Company holds Rs.
18.68 million as unspent
CSR amount, which are earmarked for identified ongoing CSR projects, which are yet to
meet the pre-determined milestones for disbursal of approved
CSR amounts. In compliance with Section 135(6) of the Act, the Company has also opened
and deposited the aforesaid unspent amount in a separate bank account within the specified
time limitas required. The brief outline of the CSR policy of the Company and the
initiatives undertaken by the Company on CSR activities during the year as detailed in CSR
Report are set out in Annexure 4 in the format prescribed in the Companies
(Corporate Social Responsibility Policy) Rules, 2014.
BUSINESSRESPONSIBILITY&SUSTAINABILITY REPORT
Pursuant to regulation 34 (2)(f) of the SEBI Listing Regulations, the Business
Responsibility and Sustainability Report (BRSR) for the financial year ended March 31,
2024, describing the initiatives taken by the Company from an environmental, social and
governance perspective is given in a separate annexure and forms part of the Annual Report
of the Company. The said Report is also available on the Company's website and can be
accessed at www.cms.com.
INTERNAL FINANCIAL CONTROL SYSTEMS AND THEIR ADEQUACY
The Company has put in place adequate internal financial control system commensurate
with the size of its operations. Internal control systems comprising of policies and
procedures which are designed to ensure sound management of the Company's operations, safe
keeping of its assets, prevention and detection of frauds and errors, optimal utilization
of resources, reliability of its financial information and compliance. Systems and
procedures are periodically reviewed by the Audit Committee to maintain the highest
standards of Internal Control.
Additional details on Internal Financial control and their adequacy are provided in the
MD&A Report forming part of this Boards Report.
RISK MANAGEMENT
The Company has devised and adopted a Risk Management Policy and implemented mechanisms
for risk assessment and management. The policy, which was further reviewed and revised by
the Board in its meeting held on October 25, 2023, inter alia, provides for
constitution of a Risk Management Committee, Risk Philosophy and Risk Management framework
for the Company. The Policy also details the Risk
Management Organization and the Risk Management Process of the Company from Risk
identification and assessment to development of Risk response and
Risk Reporting. The Policy also emphasizes the need for a robust business continuity
plan that covers all aspects of its operations.
A copy of the Risk Management Policy is placed on the website of the Company. The
Company also has also constituted a Risk Management Committee in compliance with the
requirements of the SEBI
Listing Regulations. For further details regarding the Risk Management Committee,
please refer to the Corporate Governance Report, which is forming part of this report.
STATUTORY AUDITORS AND AUDITORS' REPORT
Pursuant to the provisions of Section 139 of the Act and the Rules made thereunder M/s.
B S R & Co. LLP, Chartered Accountants were re-appointed as the Statutory Auditors of
the Company for a further term of 5 (five) consecutive years, to hold office from the
conclusion of 16th Annual General Meeting till the conclusion of the 21st
Annual General Meeting of the Company to be held in the year 2028.
SECRETARIAL AUDITOR AND THEIR REPORT
In terms of the provisions of the Section 204 of the Act read with Companies
(Appointment and
Remuneration of Managerial Personnel) Rules, 2014, the Company had appointed M/s M.
Siroya and
Company, Practicing Company Secretaries (CP No.
4157), as the Secretarial Auditor for conducting the Secretarial Audit of the Company
for the financial year ended March 31, 2024 and to furnish the report to the Board.
The report of the Secretarial Auditor for the financial year 2023-24, in prescribed
Form No. MR-3 s is annexed herewith as Annexure 1.
Securitrans India Private Limited was deemed to be a material unlisted subsidiary of
the Company for the financial year ended March 31, 2024. In terms of Regulation 24A of the
SEBI Listing Regulations read with Section 204 of the Act, Secretarial Audit of the
material unlisted subsidiary was conducted by
M/s Siroya and BA Associates, Practicing Company Secretaries (CP No. 21758). A copy of
the said report has also been annexed as Annexure 2.
QUALIFICATIONS / RESERVATIONS IN THE AUDIT REPORT & SECRETARIAL AUDIT REPORT
None of the said Audit Reports contain any qualification, reservation or adverse
remarks requiring explanation by the Board pursuant to Section 134(3)
(f) of the Act.
Notes to Accounts are self-explanatory and do not call for any further comments.
COST AUDIT
Pursuant to sub-Section (1) of Section 148 of the Act read with rule (3) of the
Companies (Cost Records and Audit) Rules, 2014, the Company is required to maintain the
particulars relating to the utilization of material or labor and other items of cost
pertaining to its Manufacturing business, by including the same in the books of account of
the Company. However, since the Manufacturing segment is in its nascent stage, the
requirement for audit of the Cost Records of the Company as prescribed under sub-Section
(2) of Section 148 of the Act read with rule (4) of the Companies (Cost Records and
Audit) Rules, 2014, is not applicable to the Company.
Notwithstanding the above and with an object to set up a robust cost record maintenance
system in anticipation of expansion in the manufacturing business in the future, the Board
of Directors. on the recommendation of the Audit Committee, have re-appointed M/s. S K
Agarwal & Associates, Cost Accountants, Mumbai having Firm Registration No.
100322 for conducting the audit of Cost Accounting records maintained by the Company
for 25, subject to the ratification of the remuneration payable to them by the Members of
the Company pursuant to Section 148(3) of the Act read with rule 14 of the Companies (Cost
Records and Audit) Rules, 2014. The Cost Auditors have confirmed that their appointment is
within the limits of Section 141(3)(g) of the Act and that they are not disqualified from
acting as Cost Auditors.
INTERNAL AUDIT
Pursuant to the provisions of Section 138 of the Act and the Companies (Accounts)
Rules, 2014, and on the recommendation of the Audit Committee at their meeting held on May
23, 2023, M/s. Grant Thornton Bharat LLP, were appointed by the Board of
Directors to conduct internal audit of the Company for the financial year 2023-actions
were initiated by the management wherever suggested by the Internal Auditor for further
strengthening of the internal controls of the Company.
The Audit findings were directly reported by the
Internal Auditors to the Audit Committee.
REPORTING OF FRAUDS
The Auditors of the Company did not report any incident of fraud to the Audit Committee
during the financial year 2024. However, in view of the nature of business of the Company,
certain incidences of cash embezzlements by few employees, who were involved in business
operations of the Company, were detected as detailed below:
There were 10 instances of cash embezzlements aggregating to Rs. 120.53 million during
FY 24 (FY23: Rs.124.78 million) were reported by the
Statutory Auditors.
Out of the above, the Company has recovered Rs. 52.59 million (FY23: Rs. 56.21
million), Rs. 22.65 million written off (FY23: Rs. 17.89 million). The total outstanding
in respect of all matters as at March 31, 2024 aggregates to Rs. 67.64 million (FY23: Rs.
91.02 million). Except above, no other embezzlements/ frauds have been reported by
Statutory Auditors or Secretarial Auditors to the Audit Committee of the Company. The
Management continues to invest in additional security measures to mitigate such instances
in future.
V I G I L M E C H A N I S M / W H I S T L E - B LOW E R POLICY
The Company has put in place a Whistle-Blower Policy and has established the necessary
Vigil Mechanism for Directors and employees in terms of Section
177(9) of the Act and Regulation 22 of SEBI Listing
Regulations, to report their genuine concerns aboutoffice premises, unethical behavior.
During the financial year 2024, one complaint was received by the Company under the
whistleyear blower policy which was investigated by the CMS internal inquiry Committee and
was treated as resolved after issuance of warning to the concerned staff.
This policy is available on the Company's website and can be assessed at www.cms.com.
PREVENTION OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT OF WOMEN AT WORKPLACE
CMS gives prime importance to the dignity and respect of each of its employees
irrespective of their gender/hierarchy and expect responsible conduct and behavior on the
part of employees at all levels. Providing a safe and congenial work environment for all
employees is an integral part of the Company's Code of Conduct. corrective As per the
requirements of the Sexual Harassment of
Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and
Redressal) Act, 2013 and the rules framed thereunder, the Company has adopted a Policy
for the prevention of Sexual Harassment at workplace. All employees as well as contractual
staff, temporary, trainees are covered by this policy.
Allegations of Sexual harassment reported are expeditiously and discretely investigated
by the
Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) constituted by the Company in compliance with the
aforesaid Act and disciplinary action, if required or recommended by the ICC, is taken in
accordance with the Policy.
There was no complaint of sexual harassment received by the Company during the
financial year 2023-24.
CONSERVATION OF ENERGY, TECHNOLOGY ABSORPTION AND FOREIGN EXCHANGE EARNING & OUTGO
(A) Conservation of energy-
(i) the steps taken or impact on conservation of energy:
The operation of the Company is not energy intensive. However, we endeavor to support
the environment and minimize consumption of energy in our offices. The Company has started
installing sensor-based light switches in workstations and washroom areas and replaced all
CFL lighting with LEDs in offices to reduce energy consumption.
(ii) the steps taken by the Company for utilising alternate sources of energy:
Since the Company uses limited energy which are mostly for its spread across India,
utilization of alternate sources of green' energy is not feasible at present.
The Company is planning to introduce a
green fleet' vehicles in 10-15 cities by shifting from Diesel to CNG and
integrating the same in the overall cash management services. Thereby transitioning to
clean fuels, which will help the Company to reduce its Scope 3
Green House Gas (GHG') Emissions.
(iii) the capital investment on energy conservation equipments;
The Company invested Rs.489 million for procurement of BS-VI compliant vans during the
year. In addition, Rs. 10 million was expended for implementation of Vision AI Solution.
(B) Technology absorption-
(i) the efforts made towards technology absorption;
?? The Company utilizes BS-VI certified security vans to facilitate transportation of
cash as "cash carry vans" for providing cash management services which are
compliant with the directives of Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the Reserve
Bank of India (RBI).
?? The Company utilizes Vision AI Solution to reduce and monitor the energy consumption
of AC and its facilities. The use of motion sensors and relays result in optimization of
energy used, consequently reducing GHG emissions.
?? The Company is planning to introduce green fleet vehicles in 10-15 cities by
shifting from Diesel to CNG and integrating the same in the overall cash management
services. Hence, by transitioning to clean fuels, the Company is planning to reduce its
Scope 3 GHG Emissions.
?? Additionally, the Company has installed sensor-based light switches in workstations
and washroom areas and replaced all CFL lighting with LEDs in offices to reduce energy
consumption, consequently reducing GHG emissions.
(ii) the benefits derived like product improvement, cost reduction, product development
or import substitution;
The above initiatives have resulted in substantial savings in consumption of energy as
well as reduction in GHG emissions.
(iii) in case of imported technology (imported during the last three years reckoned
from the beginning of the financial year)-
NA
(iv) the expenditure incurred on Research and Development.
The Company has developed an inhouse ALGO AIoT - Advanced Remote Monitoring Solution,
which brings a new dimension to business and provides critical insights powered by AI
(Artificial Intelligence) and IoT (Internet of Things) and driven by RPA (Robotic Process
Automation) for the prevention of critical threats. With the evolution of advanced remote
monitoring systems, our clients can now address their surveillance concerns 24X7 while
also unleashing a new world of business insights to boost the performance and its
businesses.
During financial year 2024, further incremental improvement was incorporated in the
solution.
(C) Foreign Exchange Earnings and Outgo
The Company operates only in domestic market hence does not earn in foreign currency.
The particulars of earnings and expenditures in foreign currency during the financial year
2024 is as detailed below:
Foreign Exchange Earnings (in Rs. million) Nil Foreign Exchange Outgo (in Rs.
million) Rs. 989.82
DIRECTORS' RESPONSIBILITY STATEMENT
Pursuant to the requirement under Section 134 of the Act, the Directors hereby confirm
and state that: a) in the preparation of the Annual Financial
Statements for the financial year ended March 31, 2024, the applicable Accounting
Standards had been followed and no material departures have been made for the same; b) we
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 ended on March 31, 2024
and of the profit and cash flow of the Company for the period ended March 31, 2024; c) we
have taken proper and sufficient care for the maintenance of adequate accounting records
in accordance with the provisions of this Act for safeguarding the assets of the Company
and for preventing and detecting fraud and other irregularities; d) we have prepared the
annual accounts for the year ended March 31, 2024 on a going concern basis; e) we have
laid down internal financial controls and the same have been followed by the Company and
that such internal financial controls are adequate and were operating effectively; and f)
we have devised proper systems to ensure compliance with the provisions of all applicable
laws and that such systems were adequate and operating effectively.
OTHER STATUTORY DISCLOSURES:
? Annual Return
Pursuant to Section 134(3)(a) and Section 92(3) of of the Act read with Rule 12(1) of
the Companies (Management and Administration) Rules, 2014, a copy of the Annual Return for
the financial year 2023-24 in Form MGT-7 is available on the website of the Company and
can be accessed at www.cms.com.
Investor Education and Protection Fund
The Company was not required to transfer any amount to Investor Education and
Protection Fund under Section 125 of the Act during financial year 2024.
Details of significant and material orders passed by the Regulators or Courts or
Tribunals impacting the going concern status and company's operations in future, if any.
No significant or material orders were passed by any regulator or court or tribunal
which impact the going concern status and Company's operations in future.
The details of application made or any proceeding(s) pending under the
Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 ("IBC") during the year, if any, along with
its status as at the end of year
There was no application made or any proceeding pending under IBC against the Company
during the financial year 2023-24.
The details of difference between amount of the valuation done at the
time of onetime settlement and the valuation done while taking loan from the banks or
financial institutions along with the reasons thereof.
There was no one-time settlement done by the Company.
CAUTIONARY STATEMENT
Statements in this Report, particularly those which relate to Management Discussion and
Analysis as explained in a separate Section in this Report, describing the Company's
objectives, projections, estimates and expectations may constitute forward-looking
statements' within the meaning of applicable laws and regulations. Actual results might
differ materially from those either expressed or implied in the statement depending on the
circumstances.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The Board of Directors take this opportunity to thank and express its sincere gratitude
to all the stakeholders of the Company viz., shareholders, customers, vendors, bankers,
business associates, regulatory authorities, Central and State Government departments,
local authorities and the society at large for their consistent support and co-operation
to the Company during the financial year.
Your Board of Directors thank the Shareholders and investors for their confidence in
the Company. The Board of Directors also place on record their sincere appreciation of the
valuable contribution made by the employees at all levels to the growth of the Company.