BOARD'S REPORT
Dear Members,
The Board of Directors are pleased to present the Company's Thirty Nineth Annual Report
and the Company's audited financial statements for the financial year ended March 31,
2024.
1. FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE
The audited financial statements of the Company as on March 31, 2024 are prepared in
accordance with the relevant applicable Ind AS and Regulation 33 of the Securities and
Exchange Board of India (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations,
2015 ("SEBI Listing Regulations") and provisions of the Companies Act, 2013
("Act").
The summarized financial highlight is depicted below
|
|
(rs. in Lacs) |
Particulars |
2023-24 |
2022-23 |
Sales & Other Income |
121821.41 |
102049.18 |
Total Expenditure excluding finance cost & depreciation |
112892.55 |
94821.19 |
Earning before Finance Cost, Depreciation & Tax |
8928.87 |
B |
Less: Finance Cost |
5647.66 |
4407.20 |
Depreciation & Amortization Expenses |
975.07 |
907.38 |
Profit before Tax and extraordinary items |
2306.14 |
1913.41 |
Exceptional & Extraordinary items |
0 |
0 |
Profit before Tax |
2306.14 |
1913.41 |
Current Tax |
(713.00) |
(593.87) |
Deferred Tax |
91.19 |
58.64 |
Tax Relating to Earlier Year Tax |
(138.98) |
(72.73) |
Profit (Loss) for the Year |
1545.34 |
1305.45 |
Basic & Diluted Earnings Per Equity Shares of Face Value of Rs. 10/- each. (In
Rs.) |
5.12 |
4.31 |
2. PERFORMANCE HIGHLIGHTS
The Company during the year under review has registered Total Income of Rs.121821.41
lacs as against Rs. 102049.18lacs in the previous year. The Company has earned Profit
Before Tax amounting to Rs. 2306.14 lacs during the year under review as against Rs.
1913.41 lacsin the previous year. Net profit after tax for the current year is Rs. 1545.34
lacs as compared to Rs. 1305.45 lacs in the previous year.
The company continues to retain and reinforce its market leadership in the allocated
segments in which it operates. There are no material changes or commitments affecting the
financial position of the company which have occurred between the end of the financial
year and the date of this report.
3. DIVIDEND
The Board considering the Company's performance and financial position for the year
under review, recommended a dividend payout of Rs. 0.5 per equity shares for the year
ended 2023-24subject to approval from the shareholder at the ensuing AGM. The payment of
final dividend is subject to the approval of the shareholders at the ensuing Annual
General Meeting (AGM)of the Company.
In view of the changes made under the Income- tax Act, 1961,by the Finance Act, 2020,
dividends paid or distributed by the Company shall be taxable in the hands of the
Shareholders. The Company shall, accordingly, make the payment of the final dividend after
deduction of tax at source.
4. UNPAID/UNCLAIMED DIVIDEND
In terms of the provisions of Investor Education and Protection Fund (Accounting,
Audit, Transfer and Refund) Rules, 2016/Investor Education and Protection Fund (Awareness
and Protection of Investors) Rules, 2001, 'noamount of unpaid/unclaimed dividends is due
and were transferred during the year to the Investor Education and Protection Fund.
5. BOARD OF DIRECTORS
a. Directors & Key Managerial Personnel Re-appointments :In accordance with the
Articles of Association of the Company and Section 152 of The Companies Act,2013, Mr.
Saurabh Sangla (DIN: 00206069), Non Executive Director is due to retire by rotation at the
ensuing Annual General Meeting and being eligible, offer himself for reappointment.
b. Declaration from Directors : The Company has received the following declarations
from all the Independent Directors confirming that:
1. They meet the criteria of independence as prescribed under the provisions of the
Act, read with the Schedule and Rules issued thereunder, and the Listing Regulations.
There has been no change in the circumstances affecting their status as Independent
Directors of the Company; and
2. They have registered themselves with the Independent Director's Database maintained
by the IICA.
None of the Directors of the Company are disqualified for being appointed as Directors
as specified in Section 164(2) of the Act and Rule 14(1) of the Companies (Appointment and
Qualification of Directors) Rules, 2014.
c. Number of meeting of Board of Directors During the year under review, 9 (Nine)
meetings of the Board of Directors were held. The details of the meetings of the Board of
Directors of the Company held and attended by the Directors during the financial year
2023-24 are given in the Corporate Governance Report which forms part of this Annual
Report. The maximum interval between any two meetings did not exceed 120 days, as
prescribed by the Act.
d. Familiarization programme for Independent Directors
The Company conducts Familiarization Programme for the Independent Directors to enable
them to familiarize with the Company, its Management and its operations so as to gain a
clear understanding of their roles, rights and responsibilities for the purpose of
contributing significantly towards the growth of the Company. They are given full
opportunity to interact with Senior Management Personnel and are provided with all the
documents required and/or sought by them to have a good understanding of the Company, its
business model and various operations and the industry of which it is a part.
e. Performance Evaluation of Board, Committee and Directors
In accordance with applicable provisions of The Companies Act, 2013 and Listing
Regulations, the evaluation of the Board as a whole, committees and all the Directors was
conducted, as per the internally designed evaluation process approved by the Board. The
evaluation process inter alia considers attendance of Directors at Board and committee
meetings, acquaintance with business, communicating inter se board members, effective
participation, domain knowledge, compliance with code of conduct, vision and strategy. The
evaluation tested key areas of the Board's work including strategy, business performance,
risk and governance processes. The evaluation considers the balance of skills, experience,
independence and knowledge of the management and the Board, its overall diversity, and
analysis of the Board and its Directors' functioning.
The report on performance evaluation of the Individual Directors was reviewed by the
Chairman of the Board and feedback was given to Directors.
f. Remuneration of Directors, Key Managerial Personnel and Senior Management
The remuneration paid to the Directors, Key Managerial Personnel and Senior Management
is in accordance with the Nomination and Remuneration Policy formulated in accordance with
Section 178 of the Act and Regulation 19read with Schedule II of the Listing Regulations.
Further details on the same are given in the Corporate Governance Report which forms part
of this Annual Report.
The information required under Section 197 of the Actread with Companies (Appointment
and Remuneration of Managerial Personnel) Rules, 2014 in respect of Directors/employees of
the Company is set out in the Annexure IX to this report.
g. Committees of the board
In accordance with the provisions of the Companies Act, 2013 and SEBI (LODR)
Regulations, 2015 the Board has the following four (4) committees:
I) Audit Committee
ii) Nomination and Remuneration Committee
iii) . Stakeholders' Relationship Committee
iv) . Corporate Social Responsibility
Committee
The Company has also constituted Internal Complain Committee (ICC) under the Sexual
Harassment of Women at the Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition & Redressal) Act, 2013.
A detailed note on the Committees is provided in the Corporate Governance Report.
h. Director Responsibility Statement
Your Directors state that:
a) in the preparation of the annual accounts for the year ended March 31, 2024, the
applicable accounting standards read with requirements set out under Schedule III to the
Act, have been followed and there are no material departures from the same;
b) the Directors had 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 as at March 31, 2024and of the profit of
the Company for the year ended on that date;
c) The Directors had taken proper and sufficient care for the maintenance of adequate
accounting records in accordance with the provisions of the Act for safeguarding the
assets of the Company and for preventing and detecting fraud and other irregularities;
d) The Directors had prepared the annual accounts on a 'going concern' basis;
e) The Directors had laid down internal financial controls to be followed by the
Company and that such internal financial controls are adequate and are operating
effectively; and
f) The Directors have devised proper systems to ensure compliance with the provisions
of all applicable laws and that such systems are adequate and operating effectively.
6. FINANCE
a. Particulars of Loans, Guarantees or Investments.
The Particulars of loans, guarantees and investment made by the Company pursuant to
Section 186 of the Companies Act, 2013 are given in the Notes to the Financial
Statements..
b. Related Party Transactions
In line with the requirements of the Companies Act, 2013and Listing Regulations, your
Company has formulated a Policy on Related Party Transactions which is also available on
http://www.groupsignet.com /investors/policy. All Related Party Transactions are placed
before the Audit Committee for review and approval of the Committee on a quarterly basis.
Also the Company has obtained prior omnibus approval for Related Party Transactions
occurred during the year, for transactions which are of repetitive nature and / or entered
in the ordinary course of business and are at arm's length.
All the related party transactions entered into during the financial year were on an
arm's length basis and were in the ordinary course of business. Your Company had not
entered into any transactions with related parties which could be considered material in
terms of Section 188 of the Companies Act, 2013. Accordingly, the disclosure of related
party transactions as required under Section134(3)(h) of the Companies Act, 2013 in Form
AOC 2 is not applicable.
7. SEXUAL HARASSMENT OF WOMEN AT WORKPLACE (PREVENTION, PROHIBITION AND REDRESSAL) ACT,
2013
The Company has complied with the provisions relating to the constitution of the
Internal Complaint Committee in compliance with Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace
(Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 to consider and resolve all sexual
harassment complaints reported by women. During the year there is no complain regarding
the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace.
8. EXTRACTS OF ANNUAL RETURN
The Annual Return of the Company as on 31st March, 2024 in Form MGT - 9 in accordance
with Section 92(3) of the Act read with the Companies (Management and Administration)
Rules, 2014, is available on the website of the Company at
https://www.groipsignet.com.com/ investors/Annual Report.
9. VIGIL MECHANISM / WHISTLE BLOWER POLICY
The Company has a whistle blower mechanism whereinthe employees can approach the
Management of the Company (Audit Committee in case where the concerninvolves the Senior
Management) and make protective disclosures to the Management about unethical behavior,
actual or suspected fraud or violation of the Company's Code of Conduct and Insider
Trading Code.
The Whistle Blower Policy requires every employee to promptly report to the Management
any actual or possible violation of the Code or an event an employee becomes a ware of
that could affect the business
or reputation of the Company. The disclosures reported are addressed inthe manner and
within the time frames prescribed in the policy. A mechanism is in place whereby any
employee of the Company has access to the Chairman of the Audit Committee to report any
concern. No person has beendenied access to the Chairman to report any concern.
Further, the said policy has been disseminated within the organization and has also
been posted on the Company's website at http://www.groupsignet.com/investors/poli cies
10. MANAGEMENT DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS REPORT
The Management Discussion and Analysis forms an integral part of this Report and gives
detail of the overall industry structure, developments, performance and state of affairs
of the Company's various businesses viz., the decorative business international
operations, industrial and home improvement business, internal controls and their
adequacy, risk management systems and other material developments during the financial
year (Annexure I).
11. CONSERVATION OF ENERGY, TECHNOLOGY ABSORPTION, FOREIGN EXCHANGE EARNINGS AND OUTGO:
The information on conservation of energy, technology absorption and foreign exchange
earnings and outgo stipulated under Section 134(3)(m) of the Companies Act, 2013 read with
Rule 8 of the Companies (Accounts) Rules, 2014, as amended from time to time is annexed to
this Report as (Annexure - II).
12. CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
SIL has established CSR Committee as per the provision of the Companies Act, 2013. CSR
Committee recommends CSR activities to be undertaken by the Company, to the Board as
specified in Schedule VII of the Companies Act, 2013 ( here in after referred to as
"the Schedule VII"). SIL will spend, in every Financial Year, at least 2 per
cent of the average net profits of the Company made during the 3 immediately preceding
Financial Years, in pursuance of the Companies Act, 2013 and rules framed there under for
the purposes specified in Schedule VII and also in pursuance of this CSR Policy. The
details of the same are attached as (Annexure III) in the report.
13. AUDITORS & THEIR REPORT
A. Statutory Auditors:
M/s. SMAK & Co., Chartered Accountants, Chartered Accountants, Mumbai (ICAI Firm
Registration No. 020120C), were appointed as Statutory Auditors of the Company at the
33rdAnnual General Meeting (AGM) held on September26, 2017, for a period of five (5)
consecutive years from the conclusion of the 33rdAGM till the conclusion of the 37th AGM.
The Board of Directors of the Company at their meeting held on August 10, 2022 appointed
SMAK & Co., Chartered Accountants, Chartered Accountants, Mumbai (ICAI Firm
Registration No. 020120C) as Statutory Auditors of the Company for a second term of five
(5) consecutive years from the conclusion of 37th AGM till the conclusion of 42nd AGM.
The Audit report for the financial year 2023-24 does not contain any qualification,
reservation or adverse remarks. Further, during the financial year 2023-24, the Statutory
Auditors have not reported any instances of fraud to the Audit Committee or Board as per
Section 143(12) of the Companies Act, 2013.
B. Cost Auditors:
Pursuant to provisions of Section 148 of the Companies Act, 2013 read with the
Companies (Cost Records and Audit) Rules, 2014, amended from time to time, the Company has
appointed Cost Auditor M/s A. K. Jain & Associates, for the year 2023-24 on the total
remuneration of Rs.60,000/- and has filed the Form CRA-2 to the Registrar.
During the year under review the Company in its Board meeting dated 10th November, 2023
has Mr. Vijay P. Joshi, Cost accountant, Firm Registration 000030. As Cost auditor to
conduct the Cost audit of the Company for the Financial year 2021-22, 2022-23 and 2023-24
to fill the casual vacancy caused due death of Mr. Anil Kumar Jain previous cost auditors
of the company.
Your directors propose to approve their remuneration at the forthcoming Annual General
Meeting.
C. Secretarial Auditors:
Pursuant to the provisions of Section 204 of the Companies Act, 2013 and the Companies
(Appointment and Remuneration of Managerial Personnel) Rules, 2014, the Company has
appointed M/s M. Maheshwari & Associates, Company Secretaries to undertake the
Secretarial Audit of the Company. The Secretarial Auditors in their report for the year
2023-24 has confirmed the compliances made by the Company.
The Report of the Secretarial Audit for the year 2023-24 in the Form MR-3 is annexed
herewith as (Annexure IV).
d. Internal Auditors
In compliance with the provisions of Section 138of Companies Act, 2013, read with
Companies (Accounts) Rules, 2014, your Company has appointed Mr. Ashish Sethi as Internal
Auditors for the Financial Year 2024-25.
e. Reporting of Fraud by auditors
During the year under review neither the statutory auditor nor the secretarial auditor
has reported to the audit committee, under Section 143 (12) of the Companies Act, 2013,
any instances of fraud committed against the Company by its officers or employees, the
details of which would need to be mentioned in the Board's report.
14. CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
The report on Corporate Governance as stipulated under Regulation 34(3) read with
Schedule V of the SEBI (LODR) Regulations, 2015 along with the requisite certificate from
the Practicing Company Secretary of the Company confirming compliance with the conditions
of the corporate governance is appended and forms a part of this report alongwith the
certificate of Disqualification of Directors received from Practicing Company Secretary as
the Annexure V and VIII of the Corporate Governance Report.
15. DISCLOSURES
a. Material Changes And Commitments
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 of the Company to
which the financial statements relate and the date of this report, which forms part of
this report
b. Change in the Nature of Business, If Any
There was no change in the nature of business of the Company during the Financial Year
ended 31stMarch 2024.
c. Secretarial Standards
The Directors state that applicable Secretarial Standards, i.e. SS-1 and SS-2, relating
to 'Meetings of the Board of Directors' and 'General Meetings', respectively, have been
duly followed by the Company.
d. Significant and Material orders passed by the Regulators or Courts or Tribunals
impacting the going concern status of the Company:
There are no significant and material orders passed by the Regulators / Courts /
Tribunals, which would impact the going concern status of the Company and its future
operation.
e. Details of Fixed Deposits
During the year under review, the Company has not accepted any Deposit under Section 73
of The Companies Act, 2013 read with the Companies(Acceptance of Deposits) Rules, 2014. It
is further stated that the Company does not have any deposits which are not in compliance
with the requirements of Chapter V of The Companies Act, 2013.
16. PARTICULARS OF EMPLOYEES
The relation between the employees and the management has been cordial throughout the
year under review and the Directors place on record their appreciation for the efficient
services rendered by the employees at all levels. The information required under Section
197 of the Companies Act, 2013 read with rule 5(1) of th e Com p a n i es (Appoi n tm en t
a n d Remuneration of Managerial Personnel) Rules, 2014 are provided in separate annexure
forming part of this Report, as (Annexure - IX).
The statement containing particulars of employees as required under Section 197 of the
Companies Act, 2013read with rule 5(2) of the Companies (Appointment and Remuneration of
Managerial Personnel) Rules, 2014, will be provided upon request. In terms of Section 136
of the Companies Act, 2013, the Report and Accounts are being sent to the Members and
others entitled thereto, excluding the information on employees' particulars which is
available for inspection by the members at the Registered Office of the Company during
business hours on working days of the Company. If any member is interested in obtaining a
copy thereof, such Member may write to the Company Secretary in this regard.
17. INTERNAL FINANCIAL CONTROL
According to Section 134(5) (e) of the Companies Act, 2013 the term Internal Financial
Control (IFC) means the policies and procedures adopted by the company for ensuring the
orderly and efficient conduct of its business, including adherence to company's policies,
safeguarding of its assets, prevention and detection of frauds and errors, accuracy and
completeness of the accounting records, and timely preparation of reliable financial
information.
The Company has adequate system of internal controls to ensure that all the assets are
safeguarded and are productive. Necessary checks and controls are in place to ensure that
transactions are properly verified, adequately authorized, correctly recorded and properly
reported. The Internal Auditors of the Company conducts Audit of various departments to
ensure that internal controls are in place
18. ACKNOWLEDGMENT
We would like to thank all our Stakeholders viz. Shareholders, Investors Bankers,
Customers, Suppliers, Government agencies, Stock exchanges and Depositories, Auditors,
legal advisors, consultants, business associates, service providers for their continued
commitment, and invincible enthusiasm which made this year productive and pleasurable.
The Board also places on record, their deep sense of appreciation towards all its
Employees at all levels for adopting the values of the Company and their hard work during
the year.
By Order of Board For Signet Industries Limited
Mukesh Sangla
Chairman and Managing Director
DIN :00189676
Place: Indore
Date: 14th August, 2024.