#MDStart#
Management Discussion and Analysis
Dear Shareholders,
Your Directors take pleasure in presenting the 75th Annual
Report together with the audited financial statements of the Company for the financial
year (FY') ended March 31, 2024.
COMPANY OVERVIEW
Cholamandalam Financial Holdings Limited (CFHL') is
primarily an investment company holding investments in its subsidiary/associate/joint
venture and other group companies. CFHL is registered as a non-deposit taking Systemically
Important Core Investment Company (CIC') pursuant to the receipt of Certificate
of Registration dated January 6, 2020, issued by the Reserve Bank of India
(RBI') under section 45-IA of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934. Pursuant to
the Scale Based Regulatory Framework for NBFC's notified by RBI, the Company being a CIC
falls under the category of Middle Layer NBFC (NBFC-ML').
CFHL holds substantial investments in the following financial
services/risk management companies of the Murugappa Group (hereinafter collectively
referred as the group companies').
Cholamandalam Investment and Finance Company Limited
(CIFCL'), a non-banking finance company engaged in lending business offers
vehicle finance, home loans, loan against property, SME loans, secured business and
personal loans (SBPL), consumer & small enterprises loans (CSEL) and a variety of
other financial services to customers;
Cholamandalam MS General Insurance Company Limited
(CMSGICL'), engaged in general insurance business offers a wide range of
insurance products that include Motor, Health, Property, Accident, Engineering, Liability,
Marine, Travel and Crop insurance for individuals and corporates;
Cholamandalam MS Risk Services Limited (CMSRSL')
offers comprehensive Risk Management and Engineering solutions.
MACRO ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT
Global economy witnessed elevated inflation across various countries in
the year 2023. High inflation rates paired with other adverse factors dampened the growth
pushing the world economy closer to its pre-pandemic levels. Headwinds from elevated price
levels which caused significant strain in consumer demand, weaker trade, and spates of
geopolitical tensions in addition to triggering supply chain disruptions tested the
resilience of the global economy. With implementation of prudent policy measures,
inflation rates have begun to decline and risks to the outlook are becoming more balanced.
As per the IMF estimates, global inflation is expected to drop to 5.2% in 2024 from 8.7%
in 2022. The global economic outlook is expected to moderate in 2024. With potential
upsides to the outlook being faster decline in inflation levels leading to Central banks
moving forward with policy easing, slower than assumed withdrawal of fiscal support,
recovery in China and supply side reforms. Supply chain disruptions and ongoing
geopolitical tensions pose downside risks to the economic growth besides extreme
weather-related events. In this context, economists have projected global GDP growth at
3.1% in 2024, the same as in 2023, followed by a slight pick-up to 3.2% in 2025.
Despite the challenging macro environment, the Indian
economyhasbeenresilientduringtheyearandmaintained its stature as the fastest growing
country in the world. The GDP gap, compared with pre-pandemic levels, continues to narrow
as the recovery gains momentum. The economic growth in FY 24 was largely driven by strong
tax revenue collections, increased government capital spending, firmness in domestic
demand amid sustained levels of business and consumer confidence. On the supply side,
mining, manufacturing, construction and certain services had a stronger output. Improved
domestic and global demands and rising prices led to robust production of several minerals
including coal, natural gas, and iron ore. Buoyant automobile sales, growth in passenger
traffic, robust GST collections, rising electricity demand all reflect the continuing
domestic demand. Strong growth in the manufacturing sector was steered mainly by easing of
global commodity prices across energy, metal, and food categories. The agriculture sector
contracted on account of uneven and deficient monsoon and is likely to remain subdued
while the construction sector gained from infrastructure spending by the Government and
buoyant real estate sector. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) based inflation moderated in FY
24 albeit with heightened volatility due to food price shocks.
Against this backdrop, the growth projection for Indian economy in FY
24 stands revised to 8% from the earlier estimate of 7.2%. GDP growth in the fourth
quarter is expected to moderate due to uncertainties related to general elections and
modest consumption growth. Inflation and policy rates peaked during the year. The
RBI's tighter monetary policy stance has helped to anchor inflation expectations,
despite recurrent supply-side shocks. Headline inflation eased to 4.9% in March
2024, aided by lower import price growth and softer input prices, and core inflation stood
at 3.2%. Domestic GDP growth is projected @ 6.6% in FY 25 backed by increased household
consumption, positive fixed investment prospects, and greater integration into global
supply chains aided by government capital expenditure focus, stronger bank and corporate
balance sheets and improved business sentiments. Headwinds to the growth outlook include
geopolitical tensions, volatility in international financial markets and geoeconomic
STANDALONE FINANCIAL RESULTS
Particulars |
2023-24 |
2022-23 |
Total Income |
86.00 |
83.76 |
Total Expenses |
6.99 |
9.90 |
Profit Before Tax |
79.01 |
73.86 |
Tax Expense |
17.29 |
15.99 |
Profit for the year |
61.72 |
57.87 |
Other Comprehensive Income |
(0.28) |
0.22 |
Total Comprehensive Income |
61.44 |
58.09 |
SHARE CAPITAL
The paid-up equity share capital of CFHL as on March 31, 2024 was
Rs.18.78 Crore.
DIVIDEND
The Board of Directors have recommended a final dividend at the rate of
55% i.e., Rs.0.55/- per equity share of face value of Rs.1/- each for the year ended March
31, 2024.
APPROPRIATIONS
The Company has transferred a sum of Rs.12.35 Crore (previous year:
Rs.11.58 Crore) to Special Reserve under section 45-IC of the Reserve Bank of India Act,
1934 for the year ended March 31, 2024.
BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT
CFHL earns revenue primarily by way of dividend income from investments
held in group companies. An overview of the financial services sector in which the Company
operates along with a business update of group companies in FY 24 is summarised in the
following paragraphs.
Management Reports Financial Statements
NBFC Industry & Business Update
India's financial sector is a highly diversified one comprising
commercial banks, insurance companies, non-banking financial companies, co-operatives,
pension funds, mutual funds and other smaller financial entities. The sector is dominated
by banking and non-banking financial companies (NBFCs') which has witnessed
remarkable transformations since its emergence, with segments such as housing finance,
microfinance and consumer finance contributing to its expansion. After a moderation in
growth post the pandemic, NBFCs are back on track with an expected credit growth of 13~14%
in FY 24. The sector has grown significantly, with a number of players with heterogeneous
business models starting operations. The increasing penetration of neo-banking,
digital authentication, rise of UPI and mobile phone usage as well as mobile internet has
resulted in the modularisation of financial services. The growth momentum is expected to
continue in the current year also. The outlook for the industry remains positive as the
country strides on its growth trajectory leading to higher credit demand. The growth in
credit is expected to be broad based across products and segments with key risks being
elevated interest rates and inflation.
Cholamandalam Investment and Finance Company Limited
(CIFCL'), an associate company of CFHL, was incorporated in 1978 as the
financial services arm of the Murugappa Group. CIFCL is registered with RBI as an NBFC-
Investment and Credit Company and is classified as an NBFC in Upper Layer
(NBFC-UL') under the Scale Based Regulatory Framework for NBFCs. The company
continues to be one of the leading, comprehensive financial service providers offering
vehicle finance, home loans, loan against property, SME loans, secured business &
personal loans, consumer & small enterprises loans and a variety of other financial
services to customers.
Vehicle Finance (VF')
CIFCL's Vehicle Finance business comprising diversified
portfolioviz.,Two-Wheelers,Three-Wheelers,Commercial Vehicles, Passenger Vehicles, Used
Vehicles, Tractors and Construction Equipment, continues to be the major segment
contributing 58% of its aggregate Assets under Management (AUM') as of March
31, 2024.
At the industry level, the Indian commercial vehicle (CV')
reported a flat growth in FY 24 after two years of strong growth and a high base effect.
The Heavy Commercial Vehicle and Light Commercial Vehicle segment had a growth of 2% and
3% respectively for FY 24 while the Small Commercial Vehicle segment had a 6% de-growth in
FY 24. The growth in commercial vehicle segment is expected to continue at a single digit
growth in FY 25. The Passenger vehicle (Car & MUV) segment had a growth 8% in FY 24,
driven by replacement demand and the launch of new models especially in the MUV segment.
The Two-wheeler industry had a growth of 13% in FY 24 and this segment is expected
to grow at a moderate pace in the coming year supported by a recovery in rural demand. The
Construction Equipment industry had a growth of 23% in FY 24 driven by an accelerated
government spend on infrastructure. There might be a moderation in demand in the near
future after two years of double-digit growth. The Tractor industry had a de-growth
of 6% in FY 24 due to the high base effect of the previous year. This segment is expected
to grow at a modest pace with expectations of normal monsoon and an uptick in rural
demand.
The VF business disbursements of CIFCL were at an all time high of
Rs.48,348 Crore in FY 24 as against Rs.39,699 Crore in the previous year with a growth of
22% and profit before tax (PBT') for the year was Rs.2,532 Crore as against
Rs.2,272 Crore in the previous year, a growth of 11%. The division will focus on
increasing its reach in Tier 4 & Tier 5 markets there by de-risking business
concentration and enabling better spread of field force for new acquisition of customers,
collection coverage and efficiency. Retaining its existing customers through innovative
technology and mobile platforms with limited intervention of field force will be a key
focus. Analytics-based credit underwriting with pre-approved offers for both new
and existing customers will help in faster loan delivery. The business will bring in AI
based collection monitoring and digital modes of collection in early buckets to curtail
flows and reduce costs. The Gaadi Bazaar platform helps in improving customer
experience for all service-related queries, cross sell and vehicle discovery needs.
Loan against Property (LAP')
The industry size of the Loan Against Property segment stands at around
Rs.10 lakh Crore. Out of this, NBFCs
& HFCs have a market share of 46%. The NBFC LAP portfolio is
expected to grow by 21-23% in FY 25 driven by a favourable economic environment and
increase in business activities.
Assets Under Management (AUM') for CIFCL's LAP business
grew by 38% to Rs.29,859 Crore (previous year: Rs.21,588 Crore) and disbursements
registered a growth of 46% to Rs.13,554 Crore (previous year: Rs.9,299 Crore). Pan-India
geographical penetration into new markets, introduction of localized credit policy in line
with market developments, increased contribution from rural branches have led to this
growth. The business continues to focus on a systematic approach to build a healthy
portfolio mix, with more than 78% of the portfolio being residential properties and an
average loan ticket size of less than Rs.50 lakhs. Average Loan-to-Value (LTV) ratio at
origination is consciously maintained at 50% levels which provides adequate security cover
to the business. The asset quality of this business has shown steady improvement with the
net credit losses and stage 3 assets coming down significantly with consistent improvement
in collection efficiency. Stage 3 assets of LAP business stand at 2.4% as of March 2024
compared to 4.02% as of March 2023.
Housing Finance
The size of the Affordable Housing Finance segment (AHFC) with an
industry size of Rs.1 lakh crore continues to deliver a robust growth of 26%. The growth
is spurred by government initiatives aimed at achieving "housing for all." AHFCs
constitutes 13% of the housing finance industry. This is expected to maintain a healthy
growth rate of 12-14% per annum on the back of a revival in demand for affordable housing.
As of March 31, 2024, the HL business had 1.10 lac live accounts (58%
growth Y-o-Y) with an AUM of Rs.13,404 Crore (59% growth Y-o-Y). 97% of the portfolio is
from Tier II, III, IV cities and towns. The disbursements grew by 66% Y-o-Y from Rs.3,830
Crore in FY 23 to Rs.6,362 Crore in FY 24. The target group remains the lower middle
income group customer. The average ticket size is Rs.13 lakhs with an average LTV of 50%.
83% of the portfolio comprises business owners with semi-formal income and significant
business vintage and 24% of customers are first-time borrowers. The HL business leverages
its strength in reaching out and underwriting lower and middle-income borrowers across the
country, penetrating to the smallest villages and towns. CIFCL continues to build a strong
ecosystem of channel partners, coupled with its digital offerings for customer service and
on-boarding making it a trustworthy choice for customers pan India.
Consumer & Small Enterprise Loan (CSEL')
In the Indian lending market, the personal and professional loans
sector stands out as one of the fastest-growing segments. This sector experienced a surge
in activity following the pandemic and is expected to further grow. Despite this rapid
expansion, there remains a significant portion of individuals in India who lack access to
formal sources of credit. In addition, the demand for credit within the MSME sector is
consistently increasing year by year. Recognizing this pressing need for greater financial
inclusion in both the consumer and small enterprises sector, CIFCL entered this space in
November 2021. Considering the increasing size and scope of digital lending in India and
the growth in the consumer durable lending space, the CSEL division added the
direct-to-consumer journey and consumer durable lending business to its portfolio. The
CSEL division offers collateral-free personal and professional loans to both salaried and
self-employed professionals, as well as business loans tailored for small enterprises in
the manufacturing, trading, and services sectors. It also offers consumer durable loans
for mobile phones. As of March 31, 2024, the CSEL business has been serving close to 12
lakh customers with an AUM of Rs.11,281 Crore. The business has expanded across the
country covering 25 states and 4 union territories with over 205 area offices. The
division has active strategic partnerships with eight prominent Fintech firms, in order to
enhance financial inclusion, particularly among economically active individuals who lack
sufficient access to formal credit. The division's primary strengths encompass a
transparent end-to-end digital process, an exceptional customer experience journey, robust
data-driven underwriting, and risk management capabilities.
Small and Medium Enterprises (SME')
The Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) sector is a major
contributor to the socio-economic development of the country. In India, the sector has
gained significant importance due to its contribution to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of
the country and exports. The sector also offers entrepreneurship development especially in
semi-urban and rural areas of India. While traditional banks have focused on MSME lending
through innovative models such as co-lending, NBFCs have emerged as lenders, growing their
MSME loans over three times faster. NBFCs offer custom-fit financing solutions, a major
advantage for MSMEs with unique needs.
As of March 31, 2024, the SME business has around 20,000 MSME customers
with an AUM of Rs.5,000 Crore. The business has expanded across the country covering 20
states with over 70 branches. The division has entered into strategic partnerships with
more than 16 OEMs and 10 leading Fintech companies to drive greater financial inclusion in
the market. With growing Small and Medium Enterprises ecosystem, CIFCL's SME loans
business division provides bouquets of products to meet the requirements of working
capital and capex of SMEs viz., Secured Term loan, Equipment funding, Vendor Invoice
discounting Channel finance and Loan Against Securities.
Secured Business and Personal Loan (SBPL')
The Indian lending landscape faces a unique challenge: a segment that
remains largely untapped despite possessing collateral and repayment capacity. This
segment, distinct from regular Loan Against Property (LAP) borrowers, encounters barriers
due to financial, geographical, and profile-related norms set by prime LAP lending
institutions. India faces high levels of financial exclusion due to factors such as low
income, lack of financial literacy, high costs, and poor infrastructure. As a result, many
people still rely on informal sources of credit, such as relatives, money lenders, and
landlords.
SBPL offers collateral backed business and personal loans on the basis
of the credit assessment and cashflow projections of these businesses. As of March 31,
2024, the SBPL business had crossed 34,000 live accounts with an AUM of Rs.1,404 Crore.
The average ticket size is around 4.36 lacs with average tenure of 6 years. This business
has digitised the entire customer loan journey for a hassle-free loan.
Outlook
Commercial Vehicle industry growth will largely come from improvement
in macroeconomic environment and healthy traction in underlying industries such as mining,
infrastructure, and construction. Credit demand across majority of retail assets to remain
strong. Asset quality to remain at healthy levels. Favorable demographics, moderating
affordability, and low inventory result in sustained end-user demand in residential real
estate. The underpenetrated market and the Government's thrust on housing for
all' are likely to support growth. Micro MSME segment is leading growth within
India's MSME credit market and credit growth momentum to continue in FY 25.
General Insurance Industry & Business Update
In FY 24, the insurance regulatory front was vibrant in terms of the
reforms push, imperative push for insurance penetration (Bima Vahak, state insurance
plans, insurance awareness campaigns), policy holder protection push (100% cashless, price
revision restraint on individual health covers, approach to internal ombudsmen),
consolidation of several regulations into homogenous regulations with tweaks, fillip for
domestic reinsurers (both Indian and Foreign reinsurance branches), digital push (Bima
Sugam, national health claims exchange etc. A key change, effective from April 1, 2024
relates to de-notifying tariff for Motor, Fire, Engineering Marine (Tea tariff) lines
which will enable insurers to innovate on products with differential protection, wordings
and clauses, deductible levels etc.
The Gross Direct Premium of multi-line non-life insurers (excluding
Standalone Health & Specialized insurers) was reported at around Rs.2454 billion and
registered a growth of around 14.2% over the previous year. Amongst various lines of
businesses, motor insurance registered a growth of 12.9% while the fire line of business
grew by 7.2%. Growth in the health and personal accident lines for general insurers was
placed at 17.6% and 11.7% respectively. The rise in investment income aided by the rising
interest rate environment and buoyant equity markets helped insurers to register overall
operating profits.
Cholamandalam MS General Insurance Company Limited
(CMSGICL'), the insurance subsidiary of CFHL, is registered with the Insurance
Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDA') to carry on general
insurance business. CMSGICL offers a wide range of insurance coverage including motor,
travel, health, accident, home and other types of insurance for individual and corporate
customers.
CMSGICL achieved a gross premium of Rs.7,598 Crore, a growth of 22.5%
which helped in growing its market share to 3.07% (among general insurance players). The
company grew its business operations across all lines of business. The company re-entered
the crop insurance business during the year and grew its business operations across
channel categories of bancassurance, agents/POSPs, brokers, MISPs, CSC etc. CMSGICL re-launched
its program for providing the thrust on building the agency channel across metro,
semi-urban and rural markets. The company entered new OEM programs added to its
bancassurance partners besides renewing all its relationships. Business line diversity was
secured by growing business from commercial and SME lines, crop insurance and growth in
retail health space.
Motor Insurance
The motor insurance business registered a growth of over 14.2% during
the year as compared to the industry growth of 12.9%. The premium pricing in motor own-damage
witnessed severe pressure with discounts across vehicle categories staying at higher
levels. In motor third party, the pricing remained static even as the industry witnessed
inflation in medical costs as well as continuous increase of the minimum wage levels
across all states in the country. The company continues to exercise utmost care in its
choice of sub-segments, geographies.
Property and Casualty Insurance
In the fire line of business, CMSGICL registered a growth of 8.2% as
against the industry growth of 7.2% leading to a market share of 2.79% Marine and Group
Accident lines of businesses also witnessed improved performance with increase in the
levels of economic activity and focused sourcing. The miscellaneous lines of insurance
business grew well during the year. The company registered growth across all its business
verticals of Indian Commercial, SME, Japanese & Korean and Bancassurance. CMSGICL
continues to follow disciplined underwriting and prudent risk selection in the highly
demanding environment.
Health, Accident and Travel Insurance
The overall health, accident and travel volumes grew by more than 23.6%
during the year with stronger growth in retail health. Even as retail indemnity business
continues to scale up, the bancassurance led health benefit and accident product grew
faster supported by buoyant economic activity. New health products - both indemnity and
benefit were added during the year besides stepping up on its distribution build of both
POSP as well as channel partners. The company continues to strengthen its underwriting
framework with intelligent use of technology for its risk selection, upsell and cross-sell
initiatives.
Crop Insurance
The company operates the crop insurance in a cluster in Maharashtra
under the 80-110 loss corridor scheme. The indifferent monsoon in the Kharif season
resulted in higher incidence of claims but the experience in the Rabi season was better.
Chola MS will continue to explore opportunities for adding to the business as more States
in the country enter the program.
Reinsurance (RI)
Reinsurance rates rose sharply in FY 24 in the wake of global risk
events, rising inflation etc. In the Indian context, the multiple natural catastrophic
events by way of Cyclone Biporjoy, Northern Indian floods, Cyclone Michaung, Southern
Tamil Nadu inundation had an impact on the industry but with higher deductibles, the
impact was soft for reinsurers. Renewal for FY 25 was marked by availability of capacity
and flat/marginal improvement in terms for insurers. During the year, the Company's
proportional and non-proportional treaties generated surpluses for the reinsurers for the
year. The Company could secure enhanced capacity, increase the scope of coverage on some
treaties. The reinsurance placements for FY 25 were over-subscribed and placed with
diversified and well rated reinsurers.
Claims functions
The year under review witnessed the claims management function stepping
up speed of disposal while handling larger volumes with efficiency and productivity. The
company continues its journey in digitization of its claims processes across lines of
businesses.
Harnessing efficiencies for severity control across all lines,
automation for speed and operational controls, proactive approach to servicing for
building transparency and satisfaction levels of customers continue to be the focus area
of the insurance business.
Outlook
The general insurance industry is poised to grow in the context of
strong economic growth of the country. The regulatory changes and the thrust by the
Regulator on attaining insurance penetration and for stepping insurance awareness,
particularly in the rural markets should help in growth. Headwinds for the industry
include the pricing pressures across product lines/segments and the possible impact from
the de-tariff of fire/engineering/ motor lines as to product wordings. Higher inflation
led by oil prices in the context of geo-political conflicts could impact customer
sentiment and claims costs. Amongst the tail winds are the infrastructure spend thrust
from the Government, expected credit offtake from the banks, the prediction of a normal
monsoon, the re-entry of a few more states into the PMFBY scheme and the continued
buoyancy in automobile sales. The interest rate environment, expected to sustain for the
better part of the year, will augment the investment income for all players in the
industry.
CMSGICL will continue its strong growth path by adding new channel
partners, expand into new markets, enhance its focus on renewals besides launching new
products across lines of businesses. The company is committed to further tightening its
expense of management levels by a judicious mix of channels, product sub categories and
rationalise commission structures linked to inherent profitability. CMSGICL will continue
to operate as a prudent insurer in its choice of product portfolio and segments to fully
live to its image of a trustworthy insurer in its claim management processes.
Digital/Technology Initiatives
Technology has become ingrained as a key driver in connecting people
across various walks of life. Aligned with the trend, digital transformation continues to
be the focus area of the group. Various initiatives and technology tools are deployed for
automation of repetitive activities across functions wherever opportunity exists. Digital/Technology
initiatives implemented by CMSGICL during the year include enablement of new
product launches and upgrades in API integrations, enablement of digital journey and
integrations with new bancassurance partners, partnership tie-ups with NBFCs, OEMs,
broking intermediaries etc., integration of health claims module with the National Health
Claims Exchange (NHCX), ABHA integration and enablement of CIS (Customer Information
Sheet). Further, several other operating measures were put in place relating to
information security and running awareness campaigns for employees.
With regard to lending business, CIFCL aims to provide seamless digital
experiences to customers while eliminating non-value-added activities and improving
process execution through technology tools and automation. Over the last fiscal year,
CIFCL has adopted an integrated application approach for employees to have a better
application infrastructure. Several enhancements have been made to the application
platform to upgrade and enable the executives to provide a smoother onboarding experience
for field executives. In line with its vision of a digitally driven business, the
integrated super app Chola One was launched as a face of the CSEL business. As part
of continued focus on vehicle ecosystem, the company continues to enhance the ease of
experience for dealers, through its Gaadibazaar offering. Gaadibazaar offers services to
buy, sell new, and used cars, auction repossessed vehicles, and serve vehicle brokers gain
better visibility of their products. To manage risks related to external technology
partners, the company has put in place a team of in-house developers to promote and enable
faster turnaround to its business. The increasing reality of being digital brings with it
the challenges around cyber security. The company has been building and investing in the
people, processes, and tools necessary to be able to identify and mitigate the risks
around cyber security to protect the increasing volume of data and digital assets built in
multiple layers of increasing complexity. Further, the company continues to adopt data
privacy practices in every point of storage and use of customer data to comply with
regulatory norms on data privacy.
Risk Management Services - Business Update
Cholamandalam MS Risk Services Limited (CMSRSL'), is a joint
venture entity of the Murugappa Group and Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Group, Japan.
Established in the year 1994, CMSRSL provides risk management and engineering solutions in
the areas of safety, health and environment. CMSRSL is part of the Inogen Alliance. Inogen
Alliance is a global network of environment, health, safety and sustainability consulting
companies working together to provide one point of contact to guide multinational
organizations to meet their global commitments locally.
During the year under review, the company expanded its service offering
by launching strategic projects in hydrogen safety, BRSR, and other sustainability
services, and has executed projects in respective areas. The company has expanded its
footprint to around 100+ sites across the country, including resources deployed at various
client project sites. Around 139 construction safety professionals and 140 logistics
safety specialists were deployed at various locations for different companies. The company
deepened partnerships with key allies like Inogen, BPC, and EIC-Dubai and strengthened
ties with JV partner MS&AD during FY 24. Significant steps were taken towards
digitalization by signing agreements with MapMyIndia, Denxpert, and Crion Technologies.
The environment and sustainability division were further strengthened through engagement
and gaining additional certification from Alliance Water Stewardship. The company also
partnered with IIM Indore to launch a Young Leaders Program for young managers.
CMSRSL continues to serve Cholamandalam MS General Insurance Company
Limited and its clients through value-added services like Thermography, Safety Audits, and
Cargo Loss minimization studies. The company has around 430+ resources with a strong
technical team of multidisciplinary and certified professionals having exposure to
domestic and international markets. The JV Partner, Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Company
Limited, Japan, continues to support the company by introducing Japanese companies in the
Indian market for risk management services and assisting in identifying potential partners
in Digital EHS front. The company plans to strategically expand service offerings into
emerging areas like Ethanol, Biological Safety, Biodiversity, and Climate & Water Risk
Assessments in FY 25. This expansion builds upon the company's established expertise in
providing engineering solutions for safety, risk, and sustainability. Furthermore, the
company recognizes the growing importance of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG)
reporting. By collaborating with its Inogen partners, the business is focused to deepen
its capabilities in net zero and zero waste to landfill consulting, aiming to become a
prominent player in India's ESG market. CMSRSL plans to enter into new areas related to
Ethonol, Biological Safety related services, Biodiversity and Climate & Water Risk
Assessments.
CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL RESULTS
Particulars |
2023-24 |
2022-23 |
Total Income |
26,086.76 |
18,376.03 |
Total Expenses |
20,886.93 |
14,551.63 |
Profit Before Tax of Profits from Associate/Joint Venture
and Tax |
5,199.83 |
3,824.40 |
Share of Profit from Associates |
|
|
|
12.08 |
(8.69) |
/Joint Venture (Net of Taxes) |
|
|
Profit Before Tax |
5,211.91 |
3,815.71 |
Tax Expense |
1,361.35 |
1006.09 |
Profit for the year |
3,850.56 |
2,809.62 |
Minority Interest |
(2,078.04) |
(1,519.39) |
Net Profit for the year attributable to owners of the
Company |
1,772.52 |
1,290.23 |
During the year the Company has not made any investments in its
subsidiaries. There has been no change in the nature of business of the company and the
group companies during the year. The business performance of the group companies has been
furnished in earlier paragraphs of this report.
A report on the performance and financial position of each of the group
companies as per section 129(3) of the Act read with the Companies (Accounts) Rules, 2014,
in the prescribed form AOC-1 is annexed to this Report as Annexure I. The
consolidated financial statements of the Company prepared in accordance with the Companies
Act, 2013 (the Act') and the relevant Accounting Standards, forms part of the
annual report.
The annual report containing standalone and consolidated financial
statements will be uploaded on the Company's website, www.cholafhl.com. Annual
accounts of the group companies will also be uploaded on the Company's website and be
made available for inspection by shareholders through electronic mode until the date of
the Annual General Meeting (AGM').
FINANCIAL REVIEW - SUBSIDIARY/ASSOCIATE/ JOINT VENTURE COMPANIES
CFHL earned an income of Rs.86.00 Crore (previous year: Rs.83.76 Crore)
and profit before tax was Rs.79.01 Crore (previous year: Rs.73.86 Crore) for the financial
year ended March 31, 2024. Aggregate investments stood at Rs.1,279.31 Crore (previous
year: Rs.1,280.12 Crore) as on March 31, 2024. During the year, the Company repaid Rs.50
Crore of Matured Non-Convertible Debentures (NCDs') and there were no
outstanding NCDs as on March 31, 2024.
Cholamandalam Investment and Finance Company Limited
(CIFCL')
The Company holds 44.39% in the paid-up equity share capital of CIFCL
as on March 31, 2024 and has de-facto control as per the principles of Ind AS 110.
Accordingly, CIFCL is treated as a subsidiary for the purpose of consolidation of
financial statements. The securities of CIFCL are listed and traded on the National Stock
Exchange of India Limited (NSE) and the BSE Limited (BSE).
The Assets under Management (AUM') grew by 37% to
Rs.1,53,718 Crore as at March 31, 2024 (previous year: Rs.1,12,782 Crore). Loan
disbursements aggregated to Rs.88,725 Crore (previous year: Rs.66,532 Crore) registering a
growth of 33% during the year. Profit after tax grew by 28% to Rs.3,423 Crore (previous
year: Rs.2,666 Crore). Investment portfolio of CIFCL as at end of FY 24 was Rs.4,137 Crore
including investments in government securities of Rs.1539.07 Crore.
The company maintained a comfortable ALM position with no negative
cumulative mismatches across all time buckets. As at end of FY 24, the capital adequacy
ratio stood at 18.57% as against the minimum regulatory requirement of 15%. To augment
capital adequacy for its growing balance sheet and enhanced regulatory requirements, CIFCL
launched a composite QIP issue of equitysharesofRs.2,000Croreandcompulsorilyconvertible
debentures of Rs.2,000 Crore, overall aggregating to Rs.4,000 Crore and the issue was
oversubscribed. Commercial Papers aggregating to Rs.17,330 Crore were raised during FY 24
of which Rs.13,930 Crore were repaid. Outstanding NCDs were Rs.18,622 Crore and Tier II
borrowings stood at Rs.4,974 Crore as on March 31, 2024.
CIFCL paid an interim dividend of Rs.1.30 (65%) per equity share of
face value of Rs.2/- each for FY 24. The Board of CIFCL has recommended a final dividend
of Rs.0.70 (35%) per equity share for FY 24, subject to their shareholders' approval.
The subsidiary companies of CIFCL are Cholamandalam Securities Limited
(CSEC'), Cholamandalam Home Finance Limited (CHFL') and Payswiff
Technologies Private Limited (Payswiff'). CSEC is engaged in stock broking and
investment advisory services. Payswiff is engaged in the business of offline payment
aggregator services and provides e-commerce solutions. The associate companies of CIFCL
are Vishvakarma Payments Private Limited and Paytail Commerce Private Limited (till March
21, 2024).
CSEC achieved a gross income of Rs.156.85 Crore (previous year: Rs.
51.54 Crore) and profit before tax of Rs.84.20 Crore (previous year: Rs.8.68 Crore) for
the year ended March 31, 2024. CHFL recorded a gross income of Rs.186.05 Crore (previous
year: Rs.81.87 Crore) and made a profit before tax of Rs.63.25 Crore (previous year:
Rs.7.66 Crore) for the year ended March 31, 2024. Payswiff recorded a gross consolidated
income of Rs.135.57 Crore (previous year: Rs.230.27 Crore) and made a loss of Rs.2.17
Crore (previous year: loss Rs.12.03 Crore) for the year ended March 31, 2024.
Cholamandalam MS General Insurance Company Limited
(CMSGICL')
CMSGICL is a joint venture between the Murugappa Group and Mitsui
Sumitomo Insurance Company Limited, Japan. The Company holds 60% of the paid-up equity
share capital of CMSGICL. The IRDAI has deferred the implementation of Ind-AS for
insurance companies. Therefore, the accounts of CMSGICL have been converted as per Ind-AS
for consolidation purposes and figures of CMSGICL reported in this annual report are under
Ind-AS. CMSGICL achieved a gross written premium of Rs.7,542 Crore in FY 24 (previous
year: Rs.6,407 Crore) and profit before tax was Rs.590 Crore (previous year: Rs.211
Crore). The investment portfolio of CMSGICL grew to Rs.16,538 Crore as at March 31, 2024
(previous year: Rs.14,271 Crore). The company took advantage of the rising interest rate
environment to deploy its accretion/maturing funds at higher yields. The exposure to
Central and State Government securities stood at 61.3% of the investment assets (previous
year 65.1%). As of March 31, 2024, the company had nil non-performing assets in its
investment portfolio. The solvency ratio of CMSGICL as on March 31, 2024, was 1.79 times
as against the minimum regulatory requirement of 1.50 times.
With a view to conserving its resources and augment solvency ratio, the
Board of CMSGICL has not recommended dividend for FY 24.
Cholamandalam MS Risk Services Limited (CMSRSL')
The Company holds 49.5% stake in CMSRSL. CMSRSL achieved an income of
Rs.71.27 Crore (previous year: Rs.64.93 Crore) and profit before tax of Rs.8.18 Crore
(previous year: Rs.9.19 Crore) for the year ended March 31, 2024. The Board of CMSRSL has
recommended a final dividend of 30% i.e. Rs.3/- per equity share of face value of Rs.10/-
each for FY 24.
DIRECTORS
Mr. B Ramaratnam (DIN: 07525213) has been re-appointed as an
Independent Director for a second term of three consecutive years with effect from March
18, 2024 till March 17, 2027 vide a special resolution passed by the shareholders at the
74th AGM held on August 10, 2023.
Mrs. Vasudha Sundararaman (DIN: 06609400), Independent Director, was
appointed for a term of five consecutive years commencing from February 12, 2020, till
February 11, 2025 and Mr. K Balasubramanian (DIN: 00137260), Independent Director, was
appointed for a term of three consecutive years commencing from March 17, 2022 till March
16, 2025. In view of their current terms coming to an end on February 11, 2025, and March
16, 2025 respectively and based on the recommendation of the Nomination and Remuneration
Committee, the Board recommends the re-appointment of Mrs. Vasudha Sundararaman and Mr.
Balasubramanian as Independent Directors for a second term of three consecutive years each
with effect from February 12, 2025 and March 17, 2025 respectively.
In the opinion of the Board, Mrs. Sundararaman and Mr. Balasubramanian
continue to fulfill the criteria of independence prescribed in the Act and under the SEBI
Listing Regulations for re-appointment as Independent Directors of the Company and that
they are independent of the management. Necessary resolutions seeking shareholders'
approval for re-appointment of Mrs. Vasudha Sundararaman and Mr. Balasubramanian as
Independent Directors on the Board, forms part of the Notice convening the 75th
AGM.
As per the provisions of section 152 of the Act, Mr. M M
Murugappan (DIN: 00170478) retires by rotation at the ensuing AGM and being eligible
offered himself for re-appointment. The Board recommends the re-appointment of Mr.
Murugappan as a director liable to retire by rotation and the resolution in this regard
forms part of the Notice convening the 75th AGM. Information as required to be
disclosed under regulation 36(3) of the SEBI Listing Regulations, for re-appointment of
director is provided in the Notice.
DECLARATION FROM INDEPENDENT DIRECTORS
The Independent Directors (IDs'), Mr. B Ramaratnam, Mrs.
Vasudha Sundararaman and Mr. K Balasubramanian have submitted declarations stating that
they meet the criteria of independence as required under the provisions of section 149(6)
of the Act and regulation 16(1)(b) of the SEBI Listing Regulations. In the opinion of the
Board, all the IDs possess integrity, expertise and relevant experience in their
respective fields including the proficiency required to effectively discharge their roles
and responsibilities in directing and guiding the affairs of the Company.
In terms of section 150 of the Act read with the Companies (Appointment
& Qualification of Directors) Rules, 2014, the IDs of the Company have registered
their names in the independent directors' data bank, created and maintained by the
Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (IICA'). The IDs are also required to
pass an online proficiency self-assessment test conducted by the IICA within a period of
two years from the date of inclusion of their names in the data bank, subject to exemption
to individuals who fulfill the eligibility criteria prescribed under the said Rules. All
the IDs are compliant with the requirement under the said Rules.
KEY MANAGERIAL PERSONNEL
Pursuant to the provisions of section 203 of the Act, Mr. N
Ganesh, Manager & Chief Financial Officer and Mrs. E Krithika, Company
Secretary are the key managerial personnel of the Company and there were no changes during
the year. At the 74th AGM held on August 10, 2023, the members approved the
re-appointment of Mr. N Ganesh as the Manager for a further period of 3 years effective
June 15, 2023.
STATUTORY AUDITORS
The shareholders at the 72nd AGM held on August 4, 2021,
appointed M/s. Sharp & Tannan Associates (S&T'), Chartered Accountants
(Firm Registration No. 109983W) as the statutory auditors of the Company for a period of
three years commencing from the conclusion of the 72nd AGM till the
conclusion of the 75th AGM. Consequently, S&T retire at the conclusion of
this AGM. The Auditors' Report issued by S&T for the year under review is
unmodified and does not contain any qualification, reservation, or adverse remark. The
statutory auditors have not reported any incident of fraud to the Audit Committee or the
Board of Directors under section 143(12) of the Act during the year.
Pursuant to the provisions of section 139(2) of the Act and the rules
made thereunder and the guidelines for appointment of statutory auditors for Banks and
NBFCs dated April 17, 2021 issued by the RBI (RBI guidelines'), and based on
the recommendation of the Audit Committee, the Board recommends the appointment of M/s.
R.G.N Price & Co. (Firm Registration No. 002785S) as statutory auditors of the Company
for a period of three years commencing from the conclusion of the 75th AGM till
the conclusion of the 78th AGM. Necessary resolution seeking shareholders'
approval for appointment of M/s. R.G.N Price & Co. as statutory auditors of the
Company forms part of the Notice convening the 75th AGM.
INTERNAL CONTROL SYSTEM AND INTERNAL AUDIT
Internal control system of an organisation is looked at as the key to
its effective functioning. The Company has internal control systems in place commensurate
with the nature of business and size of its operations, to ensure compliance with internal
policies, regulatory matters and to safeguard reliability of financial reporting and its
disclosures. An audit of systems and processes is conducted by the internal auditor of the
Company. The internal audit is performed based on the audit plan approved by the Audit
Committee annually. The internal audit report along with the observations and
recommendations from the audit review are discussed and reviewed in the quarterly meetings
of the Audit Committee. The Audit Committee evaluates adequacy and effectiveness of the
internal controls, performance of the internal audit, recommends improvements and reviews
the action taken.
FINANCE Deposits
The Company has not accepted any fixed deposits under Chapter V of the
Companies Act, 2013 and as such no amount of principal and interest were outstanding as on
March 31, 2024.
Particulars of Loans, Guarantees or Investments
The provisions of section 186 of the Act pertaining to investment and
lending activities is not applicable to CFHL since the Company is an NBFC whose principal
business is acquisition of securities. Information regarding investments made during the
year is given in the financial statements. During the year the Company has not given any
loans or guarantees under the provisions of section 186 of the Act.
Internal Financial Control Systems with reference to the Financial
Statements
The Company has in place adequate internal financial controls to ensure
reliability of financial and operational information and regulatory and statutory
compliances. The Company's business processes are equipped with monitoring and
reporting processes to ensure financial discipline and accountability. The internal
financial control systems are monitored both by internal and statutory auditors of the
Company. The statutory auditors of the Company have also certified the existence and
operating effectiveness of the internal financial controls as on March 31, 2024.
Financial Ratios
The Company being an investment company does not carry on any business
other than holding investments in its group companies. Dividend receipts from investee
companies is the primary source of income. Key ratios of the Company are given in the
table below:
Ratio Description |
31-Mar-2024 |
31-Mar-2023 |
Return on Net Worth |
4.79% |
4.68% |
Return on Total Assets |
4.79% |
4.49% |
Debt Equity Ratio (No. of times) |
NA |
0.04 |
Leverage Ratio (No. of times) |
0.0001 |
0.004 |
Ratio of Adjusted Net |
|
|
Worth (ANW) to its aggre- gate risk weighted assets |
1763.36% |
1123.23% |
The Company redeemed NCDs aggregating to Rs.50 Crore during the year.
Therefore, there is a decrease in leverage ratio and debt equity ratio is not applicable.
The increase in adjusted net-worth is on account of an increase in unrealised gains on
investment in subsidiaries. The leverage ratio (maximum regulatory requirement: 2.5 times)
and adjusted net worth ratio (minimum regulatory requirement: 30%) are computed in
accordance with the Master Directions - Core Investment Companies (Reserve Bank)
Directions, 2016 (Master Directions of RBI').
RISK MANAGEMENT
Risk management is a process to identify and manage threats that could
have an impact on the operations of the Company. Generally, this involves reviewing
business operations, identifying potential threats to the company and the likelihood of
their occurrence and then taking appropriate actions to address the most likely threats.
The Company adopts a systematic approach to mitigate risks associated with accomplishment
of objectives, operations, revenues and regulations. The risk management framework of the
Company comprises of the following key elements viz., a) Risk Assessment: study of threats
and vulnerability and exposure to various risks; b) Risk Management and Monitoring:
probability of risk assumption is estimated and monitored; and c) Risk Mitigation:
measures adopted to mitigate risks by the Company.
The Risk Management Committee assists the Board in monitoring various
risks, reviews and analyses risk exposures and mitigation plans related to the Company and
its group companies. A Risk Management Policy has been approved by the Board of Directors
which inter alia sets out risk strategy, approach and mitigation plans, liquidity risk
management and asset liability management. During the year the Risk Management Committee
of CFHL reviewed key risk exposures of the Company along with mitigation measures, asset
liability management, structural liquidity management besides review of key risk exposures
and mitigation measures of group companies.
Key risk exposures of the Company along with risk mitigation measures
are provided in the table below. The risks furnished below are not exhaustive and
assessment of risk is based on management perception.
Risk Category |
Description |
Risk Identification |
Risk Mitigation Measures |
Financial Risk |
Risks that has a measurable impact on P&L viz., loss of
revenue/higher costs/loss of opportunity etc., |
Risks to raise capital on a timely basis to fund
business operations of its group companies; |
Monitor capital adequacy requirement on a continual
basis. |
|
|
Risks in meeting cash flow requirements of the
company. |
Meeting capital requirement through own/borrowed
funds; |
|
|
|
Monitor investments such that investments mature to
meet anticipated cash flow requirements. |
|
|
|
Investment portfolio shall include fixed deposits with
Banks/financial institutions and mutual funds for improved liquidity. |
Governance Risk |
Risks that could arise due to in-effective governance of
group companies. |
Exposure to regulators/ stakeholders; |
Monitor business operations of the group companies
periodically by CFHL. |
|
|
Impact on the consolidated financial position of CFHL
and share value. |
Ensure adoption of comprehensive risk management
framework by the group companies. |
|
|
Risk of loss of Dividend Income. |
|
Market Risk |
Risks on account of adverse and un-anticipated market and
economic conditions which could impact market value of investments. |
Downgrade in credit rating of banks & financial
institutions in which CFHL holds investments; |
Track market trends and economic forecasts by expert
agencies; |
|
|
Volatility in CFHL's share price in securities
market. |
Undertake only such transactions permissible under
applicable laws including the RBI guidelines. |
Reputation Risk |
Risks on account of negative publicity, public perception or
uncontrollable events which has an adverse impact on company's reputation |
Risk of deterioration in stakeholders'
relationship viz., JV partners, shareholders, regulators etc., |
Follow ethical code of conduct; |
|
|
Risk of loss of brand fee income. |
Root cause analysis and action; |
|
|
|
Responsive to business environment. |
Compliance Risk |
Non-adherence to the applicable laws/regulations |
Risk exposure to legal penalties, financial forfeiture and
material loss due to failure to act in accordance with statutory laws and regulations and
internal policies/ procedures. |
Monitor regulatory compliance through internal audit
system; |
|
|
|
Effective systems in place to check compliances. |
Further, risks arising out of NBFC and insurance business constitute
the dominant risks of the Company on a consolidated basis. The group companies have their
own risk management framework in line with its strategic business operations as
appropriate to the industry in which they operate. The risk management framework of NBFC
and insurance business are broadly based on: clear understanding and identification of
various risks, disciplined risk assessment by evaluating the probability and impact of
each risk, measurement and monitoring of risks by establishing key risk indicators with
thresholds for all critical risks and adequate review mechanism to monitor and control
risks. The business operations of each of the group companies, the risks faced by them,
and the risk mitigation tools followed by them are reviewed periodically by the Risk
Management Committees and the Boards of the respective companies.
CIFCL has robust management information reporting (MIS) to provide the
board and senior management in a clear and concise manner with timely and relevant
information concerning the risk profile. MIS includes all risk exposures including those
that are off-balance sheet. Senior management is informed of the assumptions behind and
limitations inherent in specific risk measures. Risk appetite is an articulation of the
quantum of risk the company is willing to accept, in pursuit of its strategy approved by
the Board. The company has defined its risk appetite and tolerance limits within its risk
management policy framework for specific organizational objectives. CMSGICL has put in
place an appropriate risk management system covering various risks the company is exposed
to. The risk management framework of CMSGICL broadly comprise of establishment of risk
management policy, formulation of risk register, review of key risk exposures and asset
liability management. Risk management activities of CMSGICL are aligned to its corporate
objectives, organisational priorities and designed to protect and enhance its reputation.
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
The Company firmly believes in committing itself to maintaining high
standards of corporate governance. A report on corporate governance of the Company
together with a certificate from practicing company secretaries in accordance with the
SEBI Listing Regulations is annexed to this Report as Annexure II. The Report
further contains other details which are required to be provided in the Board's
Report.
BOARD MEETINGS
Five meetings of the Board were held during the year ended March 31,
2024. Further details on the Board meetings are disclosed in the Report on Corporate
Governance.
COMPOSITION OF THE AUDIT COMMITTEE
The Board has constituted an Audit Committee in terms of the applicable
provisions of the Act, the SEBI Listing Regulations and the Master Directions of RBI.
Details of terms of reference, composition and meetings of the committee are disclosed in
the Report on Corporate Governance.
BOARD EVALUATION
Pursuant to the provisions of section 134 of the Act and regulation 17
of the SEBI Listing Regulations, the Board of Directors have carried out an annual
performance evaluation of the Board itself, the individual directors, various committees
of the Board and the Chairman for FY 24. The manner in which the evaluation has
been carried out is provided in the Report on Corporate Governance.
POLICY ON BOARD NOMINATION AND REMUNERATION
The Board has formulated a policy for selection and appointment of
directors, senior management and their remuneration. Details of which are furnished in the
Report on Corporate Governance.
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY (CSR')
With the enactment of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) provisions
in the Companies Act, 2013, the Company has framed a CSR Policy and the policy is
available on the Company's website at http://www.cholafhl.com/article/profile/967.
Pursuant to the provisions of section 135(5) of the Act, every company shall spend at
least two percentage of its average net profits made during the three immediately
preceding financial year in pursuance of its CSR Policy. The Company does not have CSR
obligations for FY 24. Therefore, the annual report on CSR activities as required under
the Act is not attached to this Report.
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
The Company has formulated a policy on related party transactions. All
transactions that were entered into by the Company with related parties during the
financial year were in the ordinary course of business and on an arm's length basis.
There were no materially significant related party transactions during the year which had
potential conflict with the interests of the Company at large. Pursuant to section
134(3)(h) of the Act read with rule 8(2) of the Companies (Accounts) Rules, 2014, there
were no transactions during the year to be reported under section 188(1) of the Act in
Form AOC-2.
Necessary disclosures on related party transactions have been made in
the notes to the financial statements. None of the Directors had any pecuniary
relationships or transactions vis-a-vis the Company.
HUMAN RESOURCES (HR') AND PARTICULARS OF
EMPLOYEES
Human Resources (HR') are the valuable assets for the group.
CFHL along with its group companies has a work force of more than 39,700 employees as of
March 31, 2024. The group companies have robust HR management practices enabling
achievement of organizational goals and key milestones through people. The safety and
well-being of the employees continues to be focus area. The group continues to emphasize
on resourcing and talent planning strategies based on their functional and general
management requirements in preparing the organisation for the future.
As on March 31, 2024, there were two employees on the rolls of CFHL.
The information required to be disclosed under the provisions of section 197 of the Act
read with rule 5 of the Companies (Appointment & Remuneration of Managerial Personnel)
Rules, 2014 is appended as Annexure III to this Report.
EMPLOYEE STOCK OPTION (ESOP') SCHEMES
The Company's ESOP Schemes viz., Employee Stock Option Plan 2007
(ESOP 2007') and Employee Stock Option Plan 2016 (ESOP 2016') have
been approved by the shareholders. There are no options outstanding under either of the
schemes as on March 31, 2024. Further, there have been no fresh grants under either of the
schemes during the year. Details in respect of ESOP 2007 and ESOP 2016 as required under
the applicable SEBI regulations are displayed on the Company's website at http://www.cholafhl.com/article/investors/554.
Both the schemes are in compliance with the SEBI (Employee Stock Option Scheme and
Employee Stock Purchase Scheme) Guidelines, 1999 and SEBI (Share Based Employee Benefits)
Regulations, 2014 respectively. The certificate from the secretarial auditor, M/s.
Srinidhi Sridharan & Associates, Practicing Company Secretaries confirming that ESOP
2007 and ESOP 2016 schemes have been implemented in accordance with the applicable
regulations and shareholders' resolutions passed in the general meeting of the
Company, will be available for the shareholders at the ensuing AGM.
ENERGY CONSERVATION, TECHNOLOGY ABSORPTION AND FOREIGN EXCHANGE
EARNINGS AND OUTGO
The Company has no activity relating to consumption of energy or
technology absorption etc. and does not have any foreign exchange earnings. There was a
foreign exchange outgo during the year by way of repatriation of dividend amounting to
Rs.0.31 Lakh (previous year: Rs.0.31 Lakh).
WHISTLE-BLOWER/VIGIL MECHANISM
In compliance with the provisions of section 177(9) of the Act read
with the Companies (Meetings of Board and its Powers) Rules, 2014, regulation 22 of the
SEBI Listing Regulations and the Scale Based Regulations of RBI, the
Companyhasestablishedawhistleblower/vigilmechanism for directors and employees to report
genuine concerns. The mechanism provides for adequate safeguards against victimisation of
persons using the mechanism and makes provision for direct access to the Chairman of the
Audit Committee in appropriate or exceptional cases. The policy is available on the
Company's website at http://www.cholafhl.com/article/investors/34.
PREVENTION OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT AT WORKPLACE
Pursuant to the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention,
Prohibition & Redressal) Act, 2013, the Company has formulated a policy for prevention
of sexual harassment at workplace. An internal complaints committee (ICC') is
in place to redress complaints received regarding sexual harassment. The policy
extends to all employees (permanent, contractual, temporary and trainees). During the
calendar year 2023 no referrals were received under the policy and no complaints were
pending at the beginning and end of the year.
SECRETARIAL AUDIT
Pursuanttotheprovisionsofsection204oftheCompanies Act, 2013 read with
the Companies (Appointment and Remuneration of Managerial Personnel) Rules, 2014 and
regulation 24A of the SEBI Listing Regulations, the Board appointed M/s. Srinidhi
Sridharan & Associates, Practicing Company Secretaries, to conduct the secretarial
audit for the year ended March 31, 2024. The Report issued by the secretarial auditor in
the prescribed form MR-3 is annexed to this Report as Annexure IV. The
secretarial audit report does not contain any qualification,
reservation or adverse remark by the secretarial auditor. In compliance with regulation
24A of the SEBI Listing Regulations, the secretarial audit report of the Company's
material subsidiary, Cholamandalam MS General Insurance Company Limited, for the year
ended March 31, 2024 is annexed to this Report as Annexure V.
COST RECORD AND COST AUDIT
Maintenance of cost records and requirements of cost audit as
prescribed under the provisions of section 148(1) of the Act is not applicable to the
Company.
ANNUAL RETURN
Pursuant to the provisions of section 92(3) and section 134(3)(a) of
the Companies Act, 2013, the annual return for the year ended March 31, 2024 is available
on the Company's website at http://www.cholafhl.com/article/subsidyfinancials/400.
COMPLIANCE WITH SECRETARIAL STANDARDS
The Company has complied with the Secretarial Standards on Meetings of
the Board of Directors (SS-1) and Secretarial Standards on General Meetings (SS-2)
issued by the Institute of Company Secretaries of India.
MATERIAL CHANGES AND COMMITMENTS AFFECTING THE FINANCIAL POSITION OF
THE COMPANY
There are no material changes and commitments affecting the financial
position of the Company which have occurred between March 31, 2024, and the date of this
Report.
BUSINESS RESPONSIBILITY AND SUSTAINABILITY REPORT
In terms of regulation 34(2)(f) of the SEBI Listing Regulations, annual
report of top one thousand listed entities based on market capitalization, shall contain
the Business Responsibility and Sustainability Report (BRSR') describing the
initiatives taken by the entity from an environmental, social and governance perspective.
Accordingly, the Company has prepared BRSR, which indicates the Company's performance
against the principles of the National Guidelines on Responsible Business Conduct. A copy
of the BRSR is annexed to this Report as Annexure VI.
DIRECTORS' RESPONSIBILITY STATEMENT
The Board of Directors confirm that the Company has in place a
framework of internal financial control and compliance system, which is reviewed by the
Audit Committee and the Board and independently reviewed by the internal auditors,
statutory auditors and secretarial auditors. Further, pursuant to section 134(5) of the
Companies Act, 2013, the Board of Directors confirm that:
a) in the preparation of the annual financial statements for the year
ended March 31, 2024, the applicable accounting standards have been followed and that
there were no material departures therefrom;
b) they have, in the selection of the accounting policies, consulted
the statutory auditors and have applied their recommendations 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 as at March 31, 2024 and of the profit of the
Company for the year ended on that date;
c) they have taken proper and sufficient care for the maintenance of
adequate accounting records in accordance with the provisions of the Companies Act, 2013,
for safeguarding the assets of the Company and for preventing and detecting fraud and
other irregularities;
d) they have prepared the annual financial statements on a going
concern basis;
e) they have laid down internal financial controls to be followed by
the Company and that such internal financial controls are adequate and were operating
effectively during the year ended March 31, 2024; and f) proper system has been devised to
ensure compliance with the provisions of all applicable laws and that such systems were
adequate and operating effectively during the year ended March 31, 2024.
DECLARATIONS/AFFIRMATIONS
There were no significant material orders passed by the
regulators or courts or tribunals impacting the Company's going concern status and
its operations in future.
The Company does not carry on any activities other than those
specifically permitted by the RBI for CICs.
RBI does not accept any responsibility or guarantee about the present
position as to the financial soundness of the Company or the correctness of any of the
statements or representations made or opinions expressed by the Company and for discharge
of any liability by the Company.
Neither there is any provision in law to keep, nor does the Company
keep any part of the deposits with RBI and by issuing a Certificate of Registration to the
Company, RBI neither accepts any responsibility nor guarantees the payment of deposits to
any depositor or any person who has lent any sum to the Company.
There are no applications made or any proceedings pending under
the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 during the year.
During the year, the Company had not made any one-time
settlement with banks or financial institutions.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The Directors express their gratitude for the support and co-operation
extended by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Securities and Exchange Board of India,
Reserve Bank of India, Stock Exchanges and other statutory authorities. The Directors also
wish to thank all investors, vendors, financial institutions, banks and joint venture
partners for their continued support and faith reposed in the Company. The Board places on
record its appreciation for the contribution made by the employees of the Company and its
group companies across all levels.
|
On behalf of the Board |
|
M M Murugappan |
Place : Chennai |
Chairman |
Date : May 10, 2024 |
DIN:00170478 |
#MDEnd#