To
The Members,
Welspun Living Limited
Your Directors have pleasure in presenting the 39th Annual
Report of your Company along with the Audited Financial Statements for the financial year
ended March 31, 2024.
1. Financial highlights:
H Crore
Particulars |
Consolidated |
Standalone |
|
FY 2023-24 |
FY 2022-23 |
FY 2023-24 |
FY 2022-23 |
Revenue from Operations (Net) |
9679.24 |
8,093.76 |
8084.83 |
6297.53 |
Other Income |
145.83 |
121.34 |
151.89 |
134.71 |
Total Revenue |
9825.07 |
8215.10 |
8236.72 |
6432.24 |
EBITDA |
1514.74 |
873.88 |
1163.97 |
589.97 |
EBITDA Margins (%) |
15.42% |
10.64% |
14.13% |
9.17% |
Finance Cost |
153.41 |
129.88 |
90.00 |
69.52 |
Depreciation and amortization |
394.49 |
442.14 |
294.50 |
323.20 |
Profit before exceptional items and tax and share of net
profit of Associates |
966.84 |
301.86 |
779.47 |
197.25 |
Share of net profit of Associates |
0.11 |
0.05 |
0 |
0 |
Profit before tax |
966.95 |
301.91 |
779.47 |
197.25 |
Tax Expense |
294.21 |
99.40 |
183.53 |
74.37 |
Profit after taxation |
672.74 |
202.51 |
595.94 |
122.88 |
Earnings per share (Basic & Diluted) (Nominal value per
share Re. 1) |
7.06 |
2.02 |
6.18 |
1.25 |
2. Performance and Outlook:
Your Company's total revenue has seen increase by 20% on consolidated
basis and 28% on standalone basis. Your Company's EBITDA has increased by 73% on
consolidated level and 97% on standalone basis. This has resulted in increase in EBITDA
margin of 45% on consolidated basis and 54% on standalone basis. Profit before Tax has
increased by 220% on consolidated basis and 295% on standalone basis. Profit After Tax has
increased by 232% on consolidated basis and 385% on standalone basis.
3. Dividend:
i. Dividend Distribution Policy:
The Board of Directors approved Dividend Distribution Policy of the
Company, as required under Regulation 43A of SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure
Requirements) Regulations, 2015 ("SEBI Regulations 2015"). The Dividend
Distribution Policy provides that the Board will endeavor to achieve distribution of 25%
of Profit for a financial year, on consolidated basis, with equity
shareholders. The Policy is attached as Annexure - 1 to this Report and
it is also available on your Company's website and the web link thereto is as given below.
www.welspunliving.com under the tab Investors Policies
ii. Dividend for Financial Year 2023-24:
The Board has recommended dividend of Re. 0.10 per equity share for the
Financial Year ("FY") 2023-24 amounting to H 9.72 Crore (subject to
shareholders' approval). Cash outflow of H 9.72 Crore amounts to 4.80% of consolidated
PAT.
A snapshot of the dividend track record of your Company for previous
financial years is given below.
H Crore
Financial Year |
Total Dividend (%) |
Cash Outflow |
2023-24 |
10% |
4.80 |
2022-23 |
10% |
9.88 |
2021-22 |
15% |
14.82 |
4. Scheme of amalgamation:
During the year FY2023-24, the Company had filed a petition seeking
approval of National Company Law Tribunal, Ahmedabad Bench to the scheme of amalgamation
of Welspun Flooring Limited, Anjar Terry Towels Limited, Anjar Integrated Textile Park
Developers Private Limited, Besa Developers and Infrastructure Private Limited and Welspun
Zucchi Textiles Limited with the Company and their respective shareholders with Appointed
Date of April 1, 2023.
Welspun Flooring Limited had filed the aforesaid scheme with the
National Company Law Tribunal, Hyderabad Bench which approved the scheme vide its order
dated March 12, 2024.
All transferor companies were wholly owned subsidiaries of the Company.
The scheme was approved by National Company Law Tribunal, Ahmedabad Bench vide its order
dated April 09, 2024.
Rationale of the Scheme:
The Company has been in the textile business for a long period
of time with marquee global customers and relationships. Over the years, it has built a
strong distribution network and customer relationship. The aforesaid scheme will enable
the flooring business housed in Welspun Flooring Limited to leverage on the existing
global distribution channels and customer relationships of the Company and to penetrate
the markets across the globe, increase the customer base and have wider reach, resulting
into higher revenues and profitability. Access to an established distribution network and
customer relationship will accelerate the growth of the flooring business.
The consolidation will result in better earning predictability,
stronger revenue and improved competitiveness, with diversification in product portfolio.
This will result in stronger presence across market segments, provide access to new
markets and product offerings along with better bargaining power with suppliers.
The proposed amalgamation will also result into greater
economies of scale and synergy of operations as a result of better sourcing of raw
materials, with sourcing function getting combined with the Company, reduction in
procurement costs and lower lead time in procurement (resulting into lowering working
capital requirement for inventory).
Presently the project loan obtained by Welspun Flooring Limited
is guaranteed by the Company and carries higher cost of debt. The aforesaid amalgamation
will enable raising funds at
relatively lower cost by leveraging on the strong fundamentals and
ratings of the Company.
5. Subsidiaries:
As a result of the aforesaid scheme of amalgamation, Welspun Flooring
Limited, Anjar Terry Towels, Limited, Anjar Integrated Textile Park Developers Private
Limited, Besa Developers and Infracture Private Limited and Welspun Zucchi Textiles
Limited stood dissolved without winding up.
On March 4, 2024, the Company acquired Welspun Home Solutions Limited,
now a wholly owned subsidiary, of the Company to explore expansion opportunities.
During the year, erstwhile Welspun Flooring Limited, wholly owned
subsidiary of the Company acquired 49% equity share capital of Welspun Bhargavi Private
Limited, a special purpose vehicle for setting up a captive power plant for supply of
renewable energy to the Company's flooring manufacturing facilities located at Hyderabad.
This is one more step towards the Company's goal towards moving to 100% renewable energy
consumer. Pursuant to the Scheme of Amalgamation of erstwhile Welspun Flooring Limited
with the Company, 49% shareholding in Welspun Bhargavi Private Limited was transmitted to
the Company as per the scheme mentioned above.
A report on the performance and financial position of each of the
subsidiary companies of your Company is included in the consolidated financial statement
presented in Form AOC-1 attached as Annexure - 2 to this Report. Your Company's policy on
Material Subsidiary as approved by the Board is hosted on your Company's website and the
web link thereto is as given below.
https://www.welspunliving.com under the tab Investors Polices
6. Auditors and Auditors' Report:
Appointments of Statutory Auditor, Cost Auditor, Secretarial Auditor
and Internal Auditor are recommended by the Audit Committee and approved by the Board.
Statutory Auditor and Internal auditor meet the Audit Committee in absence of any member
of the management atleast twice a year.
i. Statutory Auditor:
Members of the Company appointed S R B C & CO LLP as statutory
auditors for its 2nd term of five years commencing from expiry of 37th
Annual General Meeting held on September 12, 2022 and end on conclusion of 42nd
Annual General Meeting that may be held in the year 2027.
The Auditors are holding a valid certificate issued by the Peer Review
Board of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India.
Statutory Auditors, as per internal policy of S R B C & CO LLP, has
rotated Mr. Anil Jobanputra, Partner in charge for the Company from S R B C & CO LLP
and Mr. Jai Prakash Yadav has taken over as Partner in charge from FY 2024-25.
The Auditors' observation read with Notes to Accounts for FY 2023-24
are self-explanatory and therefore do not call for any comment.
Total fees for all services paid by the Company and its subsidiaries,
on a consolidated basis, to the statutory auditors and all entities in the network
firm/network entity of which the statutory auditors is a part during the financial year
under Report is H 3.11 Crore.
ii. Cost Auditors:
As per Section 148 and other applicable provisions, if any, of the Act
read with Companies (Audit and Auditors) Rules, 2014, the Board of Directors of your
Company has reappointed M/s. Kiran J. Mehta & Co., Cost Accountants as the Cost
Auditors of your Company for FY 2024-25 on the recommendations made by the Audit
Committee.
Members are requested to ratify their remuneration by passing an
ordinary resolution in the forthcoming Annual General Meeting.
As required under the Companies (Accounts) Rules, 2014, the cost
accounting records as specified by the Central Government under Section 148(1) of the
Companies Act, 2013 are made and maintained by the Company.
iii. Secretarial Auditor:
The Secretarial Audit Report for FY 2023-24 is attached herewith as
Annexure - 3 to this Report. As per Regulation 24A of SEBI (Listing Obligations and
Disclosure Requirements) Regulation, 2015, the Secretarial Audit Report for FY 2023-24 of
Welspun Global Brands Limited and Welspun Captive Power Generation Limited, material
unlisted subsidiaries are also attached under Annexure - 3.
Pursuant to the provisions of Section 204 of the Act read with the
Companies (Appointment and Remuneration of Managerial Personnel) Rules, 2014, your Company
has appointed JMJA & Associates LLP, Company Secretaries, as the Secretarial Auditor
of your Company for the FY 2024-25.
7. Disclosure of Shares held in suspense account:
Aggregate number of
shareholders and the outstanding shares in the suspense account lying at the beginning of
the year |
Number of shareholders who
approached issuer for transfer of shares from suspense account during the year |
Number of shareholders to
whom shares were transferred from suspense account during the year |
Aggregate number of
shareholders and the outstanding shares in the suspense account lying at the end of the
year |
|
No of Holders |
No of Shares |
No of Holders |
No of Shares |
No of Holders |
No of Shares |
No of Holders |
No of Shares |
Remarks |
806 |
330220 |
500 |
166810 |
500 |
191560 |
306 |
138660 |
A) 157150 shares and 420 Records transferred to IEPF on
20.05.2023 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
B) 22400 Shares and 72 records transferred to IEPF on 24.1
1.2023 |
8. Listing with the Stock Exchanges:
Your Company's equity shares are listed on National Stock Exchange of
India Limited (NSE) and BSE Limited (BSE). Annual listing fees for the FY 2023-24 have
been paid to NSE and BSE. There are no unsecured Commercial Papers outstanding as at March
31, 2024.
9. Finance:
i. Credit Rating:
During the year, CARE Ratings Limited ('CARE') has reaffirmed your
Company's long term credit rating as 'AA' and short term credit rating as 'A1+'. India
Ratings & Research, a Fitch Group company, has reaffirmed your Company's long-term
issuer rating as 'IND AA/Positive' and reaffirmed shortterm credit rating as 'IND A1+'.
ii. Deposits:
Your Company has not accepted any deposit within the meaning of Chapter
V of the Act. Further, no amount on account of principal or interest on deposit was
outstanding as at the end of the financial year under Report.
10. Board of Directors:
The Board of Directors has made changes in the composition of the Board
of Directors of the Company. The Board appointed Mr. Murali Sivaraman, Mr. Sunil Duggal
and Ms. Naiyya Saggi as independent directors of the Company. The shareholders of the
Company approved Mr. Murali Sivaraman's, Mr. Sunil Duggal's and Ms. Naiyya Saggi's
appointment pursuant to resolutions passed by postal ballot on January 28, 2024, April 28,
2024 and July 21, 2024 respectively.
Mr. K. H. Viswanathan, holding Director Identification Number 00391263
and Mr. Arvind Kumar Singhal, holding Director Identification Number 00709084, retired on
completion of their terms as independent directors of the Company with effect from March
31, 2024. The Board placed on record its appreciation to immense contribution to the
Company and the Board received from Mr. K. H. Viswanathan and Mr. Arvind Kumar Singhal and
the Company wishes them success for their future endeavors.
Your Company's Board comprises mix of executive and non-executive
directors with considerable experience and expertise across a range of fields such as
finance, accounts, marketing, brand building, general management and strategy. Except the
Independent directors and Mr. Balkrishan Goenka, all other directors are liable to retire
by rotation as per the provisions of the Act. Although Mr. Goenka is not liable to retire
by rotation, his appointment is subject to approval as may be required under SEBI (Listing
Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015 from time to time. It is
confirmed that, except for Mr. Balkrishan Goenka and Ms. Dipali Goenka who are husband and
wife, there is no relationship between the directors inter-se. The details of the
directors, their meetings held during the year and the extracts of the Nomination and
Remuneration Policy has been given in the Corporate Governance Report, which forms part of
this Report.
i. Changes in Directors and Key Managerial Personnel:
The changes in Board of Directors and Key Managerial Personnel are as
given below:
(i) Appointment of Mr. Murali Sivaraman, holding Director
Identification Number 01461231, as an Independent Director with effect from November 1,
2023;
(ii) Appointment of Mr. Sunil Duggal, holding Director Identification
Number 00041825, as an Independent Director with effect from January 31, 2024;
(iii) Retirement of Mr. K H Viswanathan, holding Director
Identification Number 00391263, as an Independent Director with effect from March 31,
2024;
(iv) Retirement of Mr. Arvind Kumar Singhal, holding Director
Identification Number 00391263, as an Independent Director with effect from March 31,
2024;
(v) Mr. Rajesh Mandawewala, holding Director Identification Number
00007179, was appointed as Executive Vice Chairman of the Company with effect from April
01, 2023 for a period of 5 years.
(vi) Ms. Dipali Goenka, holding Director Identification Number
00007199, was appointed as Managing Director & CEO of the Company with effect from
April 01, 2023 for a period of 5 years.
(vii) Mr. Altaf Jiwani, holding Director Identification Number
05166241, was appointed as Wholetime Director of the Company with effect from April 01,
2023 for a period of 5 years.
(viii) Appointment of Ms. Naiyya Saggi, holding Director Identification
Number 06755099, as an Independent Director with effect from April 25, 2024.
In accordance with the provisions of Section 152 of the Act and the
Articles of Association of your Company, Ms. Dipali Goenka (holding Director
Identification Number DIN 00007199) is retiring by rotation at the forthcoming Annual
General Meeting and being eligible, has been recommended for her re-appointment.
Details about director being appointed or re-appointed are given in the
Notice of the forthcoming Annual General Meeting.
ii. Declaration by an Independent Director(s):
Your Company has received declarations from all the independent
directors as per the provisions of Section 149(7) of the Act confirming that they meet the
criteria of independence as prescribed under the provisions of Section 149(6) of the Act
and that there is no change in the circumstances as on the date of this Report which may
affect their respective status as an independent director.
Your Board confirms that in its opinion the independent directors
fulfill the conditions prescribed under the SEBI (LODR), 2015 and they are independent of
the management. All the independent directors on the Board of the Company are registered
with the Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs ("IICA"), Manesar, Gurgaon as
notified by the Central Government under Section 150(1) of the
Companies Act, 2013.
Test of independence based on criteria given in SEC (USA) Rule 4200:
Key Independence Criteria |
Murali Sivaraman |
Pradeep Poddar |
Anisha Motwani |
Sunil Duggal |
The director must not have been employed by the Company in an
executive capacity within the last five years. |
? |
? |
? |
? |
The director must not accept or have a "Family Member
who accepts any payments from the company or any parent or subsidiary of the company in
excess of $60,000 during the current fiscal year", other than those permitted by SEC
Rule 4200 Definitions, including i) payments arising solely from investments in the
Company's securities; or ii) payments under non-discretionary charitable contribution
matching programs. Payments that do not meet these two criteria are disallowed. |
? |
? |
? |
? |
The director must not be a "Family Member of an
individual who is, or during the past three years was employed by the Company or by any
parent or subsidiary of the Company as an executive officer". |
? |
? |
? |
? |
The director must not be (and must not be affiliated with a
company that is) an adviser or consultant to the Company or a member of the Company's
senior management. |
? |
? |
? |
? |
The director must not be affiliated with a significant
customer or supplier of the Company. |
? |
? |
? |
? |
The director must have no personal services contract(s) with
the Company or a member of the Company's senior management. |
? |
? |
? |
? |
The director must not be affiliated with a not-for-profit
entity that receives significant contributions from the Company. |
? |
? |
? |
? |
The director must not have been a partner or employee of the
Company's outside auditor during the past three years. |
? |
? |
? |
? |
The director must not have any other conflict of interest
that the board itself determines to mean they cannot be considered independent |
? |
? |
? |
? |
iii. Directors' Evaluation:
Background:
Nomination and Remuneration Committee has laid down the criteria for
evaluation of performance of the Board, its committees and the directors.
In compliance with Sections 134, 178 of, and Paras II, V and VIII of
Schedule IV to, the Act and Regulation 17 of Para A of Part D of Schedule II to SEBI
Regulations 2015, the Board of Directors, as per the process recommended by the Nomination
and Remuneration Committee, has evaluated the effectiveness of the Board, its Committees
and Directors. The evaluation process invited graded responses to a structured
questionnaire, which was largely in line with the SEBI Guidance Note on Board Evaluation,
for each aspect of the evaluation. All the results were satisfactory.
Mode of evaluation:
Board assessment is conducted through a structured questionnaire. Each
question requires response on a scale of 0 to 3 with 3 being the best. The Company has a
digital platform developed in-house to facilitate confidential responses to a structured
questionnaire. All the directors participated in the evaluation process.
Further, meeting of independent directors was conducted to review the
performance of the Board as a whole and that of non-independent directors.
Results:
The evaluation results were discussed at the Meeting of Board of
Directors, Committees and the Independent Directors meeting. The Directors were satisfied
with the overall corporate governance standards, Board performance and effectiveness.
|
Key parameters |
Board of Directors |
Board structure and composition |
|
Board meeting practices (agenda, frequency, duration) |
|
Functions of the Board (Strategic direction etc.) |
|
Quantity, quality & timeliness of information |
|
Board culture and effectiveness |
|
Functioning of Board Committees |
|
Director induction and development programs |
Board Committee |
Composition, roles & responsibilities and
effectiveness of the committee |
|
Meeting structure and information flow |
|
Contributions to Board decisions |
Independent directors |
Independence from company (no conflict of interest) |
|
Independent views and judgement |
|
Objective contribution to the Board deliberations |
Chairperson |
Promote effective decision-making |
|
Encourage high quality of constructive debate |
|
Open-minded and listening to the members |
|
Effectively dealing with dissent and work
constructively towards consensus |
|
Shareholders' interest supreme while taking decisions |
Executive |
Relevant expertise and commitment |
Directors |
Performance vis-a-vis business budget, peers |
|
Dealing with challenges |
|
Developing leaders |
Board of Directors
RDER='0' WIDTH='100%' cellpadding='2'>
Parameters with high evaluation scores: |
Key focus areas: |
The size and composition of the Board is appropriate. |
Effectiveness in formulating Succession plan which is
monitored and reviewed regularly. [Action plan: Succession planning and other HR matters
will be presented to the Board regularly.] Addressing matters of strategic concerns in its
review of the Board agenda with the executive management. [Action plan: Board will now be
reviewing strategy matters every quarter]. |
Effectiveness in establishing a corporate environment
that promotes timely and effective disclosure, fiscal accountability, high ethical
standards and compliance with applicable laws and regulations and has set a corporate
culture and the values by which executives throughout a group shall behave. |
|
The Board members collectively and constructively work
as a team. |
|
Effective in developing a corporate governance
structure that allows and encourages the Board to fulfill its responsibilities. |
|
Considerable attention to the quality of financial
reporting process and internal financial controls and effectively oversees them |
|
The level of independence of the management from the
Board is adequate. |
|
Size, composition and diversity of each Committee. |
Well informed recommendations to the Board while
processing proposals of KMPs and senior management. [Action: Nomination and Remuneration
Committee will be regularly reviewing organisation structure and succession planning.] |
Strong oversight on financial reporting process,
internal financial controls, compliance with related party transaction regulations and
reporting to Board on key control gaps. |
|
Performance monitoring of subsidiaries. |
|
Effective in advising senior executives. |
|
iv. Induction and familiarization of Director(s):
Your company provides a comprehensive induction program for board
members to help them gain a deep understanding of its operations. This program is designed
to enhance their ability to contribute effectively in their roles. Upon joining, new
directors engage with senior management and gain hands-on experience with the company's
functions and manufacturing facilities. Additionally, senior management regularly updates
the board on their areas, discussing strategic goals, challenges, and seeking the board's
guidance.
The familiarization program aims to provide the Directors with the
scenario within the industry, the socioeconomic environment in which the Company operates,
the business model, the operational and financial performance of the Company, significant
development so as to enable them to take well-informed decisions in timely manner. The
familiarization programme also seeks to update the Directors on the roles,
responsibilities, rights and duties under the Act and other statutes.
The policy on Company's familiarization programme for Independent
Directors is hosted on your Company's website and a web link thereto is as given below:
https://www.welspunliving.com under the tab Investors Policies
v. Committees of the Board of Directors:
Information on the Audit Committee, the Nomination and Remuneration
Committee, ESG & CSR Committee, the Stakeholders' Relationship, Share Transfer and
Investor Grievance Committee, Risk Management Committee and meeting of those committees
held during the year is given in the Corporate Governance Report forming part of this
Report.
11. Employee Stock Option Plan (ESOP):
There were no outstanding options as on March 31, 2024.
Disclosure as required under Regulation 14 of the SEBI (Share Based
Employee Benefits and Sweat Equity) Regulations, 2021 and Rule 12(9) of the Companies
(Share Capital and Debentures) Rules, 2014 are as under:
Scheme - Welspun Living Employee Benefit Scheme - 2022
(I) A description of each ESOP that existed at any time during the
year, including the general terms and conditions of each ESOP, including -
(a) Name of the ESOP Plan |
Welspun Living Employee Benefit Scheme - 2022 |
(b) Date of shareholders' approval |
June 29, 2022 |
(c) Total number of options approved under ESOP |
4,45,00,000 |
(d) Vesting requirements |
Vesting: 25% on each anniversary of the date of grant. |
(e) Exercise price or pricing formula |
As may be decided by the Nomination and Remuneration
Committee of the Board of Directors from time to time. |
(f) Maximum term of options granted |
* No options granted. As per the ESOP Plan, options will
lapse if not exercised within 4 years of vesting. |
(g) Source of shares (primary, secondary or combination) |
Both primary and secondary market |
(h) Variation in terms of options |
- |
* No options were granted during FY 2023-24, the period covered by this
annual report. Options have been granted in the FY 2024-25.
(II) Method used to account for ESOP - Intrinsic or fair
value. |
- |
(III) Where the company opts for expensing of the options
using the intrinsic value of the options, the difference between the employee compensation
cost so computed and the employee compensation cost that shall have been recognized if it
had used the fair value of the options shall be disclosed. The impact of this difference
on profits and on EPS of the company shall also be disclosed. |
|
(IV) Option movement during the year |
No options have been granted during the year under the ESOP
plan. |
Number of options outstanding at the beginning of the period |
Nil |
Options granted |
- |
Options vested |
- |
Options exercised |
- |
The total number of shares arising as a result of exercise of
option |
- |
Options forfeited / lapsed / surrendered |
- |
The exercise price |
- |
Money realized by exercise of options |
- |
Loan repaid by the Trust during the year from exercise price
received |
Nil |
Number of options outstanding at the end of the Year |
- |
Number of options exercisable at the end of the Year |
- |
Employee wise details of options granted to:- |
|
Key Managerial Personnel |
- |
Any other employee who receives a grant of options in
any one year of option amounting to five percent or more of options granted during that
year |
|
Identified employees who were granted option, during
any one year, equal to or exceeding one percent of the issued capital (excluding
outstanding warrants and conversions) of the company at the time of grant. |
None |
Diluted Earnings Per Share (EPS) pursuant to issue of shares
on exercise of option calculated in accordance with Accounting Standard (AS) 20 Earnings
Per Share. |
|
Where the company has calculated the employee compensation
cost using the intrinsic value of the stock options, the difference between the employee
compensation cost so computed and the employee compensation cost that shall have been
recognized if it had used the fair value of the options, shall be disclosed. The impact of
this difference on profits and on EPS of the company shall also be disclosed. |
|
Weighted-average value of share price (Rs) |
Not Applicable as no options have been granted under this
scheme. |
Exercise prices (Rs.) |
|
weighted-average fair values of options (Rs)
A description of the method and significant assumptions used during the
year to estimate the fair values of options, including the following weighted-average
information:
(i) risk-free interest rate
(ii) expected life
(iii) expected volatility
(iv) Dividend yield
(v) the price of the underlying share in market at the time of option
grant.
Your Company did not provide any loan for the purchase of, or
subscription for, shares of your Company to Welspun Living Employee Welfare Trust
("ESOP Trust")
12.Loans, Guarantees and Investments:
Information of amounts of investments made, loans given, guarantees
given and security provided by your Company as on March 31, 2024 is as given under:
Particulars |
Amount |
Investments |
1,567.34 |
Loans / Receivables |
8.10 |
Guarantees |
1,316.60 |
Security |
- |
Total |
2,892.04 |
The Company has issued guarantee of H 820 Crore in favour of consortium
of Bankers led by State Bank of India ("the Consortium") to secure repayment of
working capital facilities extended by the Consortium to Welspun Global Brands Limited
("WGBL"), a subsidiary of your Company and H 100 Crore in favour of Kotak
Mahindra Bank Limited to secure its term loan facility.
Your Company has issued guarantees of amounts upto H 111.86 Crore to
Customs Authorities to secure fulfilment of export obligations of Welspun Advanced
Materials (India) Limited ("WAMIL"), a wholly owned subsidiary of your Company.
Additionally, the Company has issued guarantee in favour of Catalyst Trusteeship Limited
to secure term loan facility and working capital facility of WAMIL for an amount of of H
209.74 Crore and H 75 Crore respectively.
Disclosures pursuant to the Regulation 34(3) read with Para A of
Schedule V of SEBI Regulations, 2015 is given at Note No. 36 of the audited financial
statements.
13.Particulars of contracts or
arrangements with related parties:
All related party transactions that were entered into during the year
under report were on an arm's length basis and were in the ordinary course of business, to
serve mutual needs and mutual interest. Except for contract with WGBL, subsidiary of your
Company, there were no materially significant related party transactions made by your
Company. The Audit Committee has given its omnibus approval which is valid for one
financial year. Your Company's policy on Related Party Transactions as approved by the
Board is
hosted on your Company's website and a web link thereto is as given
below:
https://www.welspunliving.com under the tab Investors Policies
Disclosures as required under the Act are given in Form AOC-2 as
Annexure - 4 to this Report.
The details of the related party transactions as required under IND-AS
24 are set out in Note No. 29 to the Standalone financial statements forming part of this
Report.
14.Details of Remuneration to Directors and Key Managerial Personnel:
i. Details as required pursuant to Rule 5(1) of the Companies
(Appointment and Remuneration of Managerial Personnel) Rules, 2014 are given below:
(a) the ratio of the remuneration of each executive director and key
managerial personnel to the median remuneration of the employees of your Company for FY
2023-24 is as given below:
Name and Designation |
Remuneration (Rs Crore) |
The percentage increase in remuneration |
The ratio of the remuneration to the
median remuneration of the employees (No. of times) |
Mr. Rajesh Mandawewala Executive Vice Chairman |
13.51 |
175.71 |
603 |
Ms. Dipali Goenka Managing Director & CEO |
14.34 |
99.72 |
640 |
Mr. Altaf Jiwani Wholetime Director |
4.65 |
16.46 |
205 |
Sanjay Gupta Chief Financial Officer |
2.53 |
9.52 |
113 |
Shashikant Thorat Company Secretary |
0.64 |
8.16 |
28 |
(a) The percentage increase in the median remuneration of employees in
FY 202324 was 10.67%.
(b) Your Company had 21,929 permanent employees on its payroll as on
March 31, 2024.
(c) Average percentage increase in the salaries of employees other than
the managerial personnel in FY 2023-24 was 7.45%.
The key parameters for any variable component of remuneration availed
by the directors are as per the Nomination and Remuneration Policy. We affirm that the
remuneration is as per the Nomination and Remuneration Policy of your Company.
ii. Details of the employees of your Company as required pursuant to
Rule 5(2) of the Companies (Appointment and Remuneration of Managerial Personnel) Rules,
2014 are given below:
Name, Designation, Age, DOJ, Current Gross Salary (H Crore),
Qualification, Previous Company, Nature of Employment, % of Equity Shares held in the
Company, Relative of any Director/ Manager of the Company.
Alok Mishra, Senior Vice President, 50, 04/10/2021, 1.15, Permanent, 0,
No; Altaf Jiwani, Whole-time Director, 57, 02/02/2015, 4.65, B.TECH/MMS, Philips Carbon
black, Permanent, 0, No; Amit Bhandari, President, 49, 11/01/2006, 1.02, Permanent, 0, No;
Bharat Thanvi, President, 50, 27/01/1996, 1.27, BE/ Btech, -, Permanent, 0, No; Cherian
Kenneth Thomas, President, 53, 02/12/2019, 0.81, BE (Mechanical)+ MBA, Frigoglass,
Permanent, 0, No; Chhotubhai Chaudhari, Vice President, 58, 25/11/1997, 0.93, Permanent,
0, No; Chintan Thaker, President, 46, 01/04/2003, 1.68, B.SE+MBA, Gujarat Infra Ltd,
Permanent, 0, No; Dipali Goenka, Managing Director & CEO, 54, 07/08/2000, 14.34,
Contractual, 7,50,400 Equity Shares, Yes; Disha Shah, Vice President, 47, 28/09/2020,
0.78, Permanent, 0, No; K R. Subramanian, Senior Vice President, 57, 25/03/2015, 1.22,
Permanent, 0, No; Lalit Mahajan, Senior Vice President, 55, 25/07/2022, 1.03, Permanent,
0, No; Mayank Meenketan, Senior Vice President, 41, 04/01/2023, 1.03, Permanent, 0, No;
Puesh Ajmani, President, 45, 25/08/2020, 2.16, MBA + PGDM, Square Panda Inc, Permanent, 0,
No; Rajesh Mandawewala, Executive Vice Chairman, 60, 01/12/1985, 13.51, CA, Contractual,
1,030 Equity Shares, No; Rajarshi
Ghosh, President, 51, 03/03/2021, 1.19, Permanent, 0, No; Rajesh Kumar
Srivastava, President, 57, 25/08/2022, 1.36, Permanent, 0, No; Ravi Bhushan Singh, Vice
President, 46, 03/05/2023, 1.06, Permanent, 0, No; Ruchika Arora, Senior Vice President,
39, 25/02/2021, 1.14, Permanent, 0, No; Salil Bawa, President, 51, 01/12/2022, 1.80,
ICFAI, IndoStar Capital Finance, Permanent, 0, No; Sanjay Kanungo, *Director, 56,
23/01/2017, 2.16, BE (Mechanical), Trident, Permanent, 0, No; Selvaraj Chinnamuthu, Senior
Vice President, 57, 03/11/2004, 0.99, Permanent, 0, No; Sanjay Gupta, President, 55,
14/05/2021 2.53, MBA+PGDM, Vibgyor School Group, Permanent, 0, No; Shailesh Apte, Senior
Vice President, 42, 13/09/2021, 1.56, M. Com, JSW Steel, Permanent, 0, No; Sharad Agarwal,
Vice President, 46, 17/02/2016, 0.86, Permanent, 0, No; Suraj Raj Dhillon, Assistant Vice
President, 36, 24/08/2023, 0.52, PGDM, Mountain Valley Springs India Private Limited,
Permanent, 0, No; Vikram Bector, *Director, 58, 16/10/2023, 2.93, Permanent, 0, No; Vijay
Pasupathy, President, 43, 19/10/2022, 1.99, Permanent, 0, No; Updeep Singh Chatrath,
*Director, 59, 02/01/2024, 0.49, MBA/PGDM, Sutlej Textiles and Industries Limited,
Permanent, 0, No.
* Not a member of the Board.
iii. Ms. Dipali Goenka, Managing Director & CEO, who is receiving
remuneration and commission from your Company, receives H 4.13 Crore as remuneration
(including variable pay) and commission of 2% of profits also from WGBL, a subsidiary of
your Company.
iv. Details of managerial remuneration and payments to other directors
is given in the Annual Return.
15. Annual Return:
Pursuant to section 134(3)(a) and section 92(3) of the Companies Act,
2013 read with Rule 12(1) of the Companies (Management and Administration) Rules, 2014, a
copy of the annual return is placed on the website of the Company and can be accessed at
www.welspunliving.com under the tab Investors Shareholders Information -> Annual Return
FY 23-24.
16. Business Responsibility and Sustainability Report (BRSR):
The Company is pleased to present its 3rd Business
Responsibility and Sustainability Report for the financial year 2023-24 which is a part of
this Annual Report.
17. Conservation of energy, technology absorption and foreign exchange
earnings and outgo:
The information on conservation of energy, technology absorption and
foreign exchange earnings and outgo required to be disclosed pursuant to Section 134(3)(m)
of the Act read with Companies (Accounts) Rules, 2014 is attached as Annexure - 5 to this
Report.
18. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR):
The key philosophy of all CSR initiatives of the Company is enshrined
in the three E's which have become guiding principles of the CSR initiatives - Education,
Empowerment (of Women) and Environment & Health.
The CSR Policy of your Company as approved by the Board of Directors,
is hosted on your Company's website and a web link thereto is as given below:
www.welspunliving.com under the tab Investors Policies.
The initiatives undertaken by your Company during FY 2023-24 in CSR
have been detailed in this Report. Disclosures as required under Rule 9 of the Companies
(Corporate Social Responsibility) Rules, 2014 are given in Annexure - 6 to this Report.
The Company's CSR programs are linked with the Sustainable Development
agenda adopted by the UN; clearly defined activities and goals - ongoing/ long-term;
provisions related to excess contribution & set-off, capital assets governance
structure & responsibilities.
19. Internal controls:
Your Company has adequate internal control system, which is
commensurate with the size, scale and complexity of its operations. Your Company has
designed and implemented a process driven framework for Internal Financial Controls
("IFC") within the meaning of the explanation of Section 134(5) of the Act, SEBI
Regulations, 2015 and other relevant statutes applicable to your Company.
Your Company has well-documented Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
for various processes which are periodically reviewed for changes warranted by business
needs. The Internal Auditors continuously monitor the efficiency of the internal controls
/ compliance with the SOPs with the objective of providing to the Audit Committee and the
Board of Directors, an independent, objective and reasonable assurance of the adequacy and
effectiveness of the organisation's risk management, control and governance processes.
For the year ended March 31, 2024, the Board is of the opinion that
your Company has sound IFC commensurate with the nature of its business operations;
wherein adequate controls are in place and operating effectively and no material weakness
exists. Your Company has a process in place to continuously monitor existing controls and
identify gaps and implement new and / or improved controls wherever the effect of such
gaps would have a material effect on your Company's operation.
20. Risk management:
Your Company is exposed to risks across all levels and functions of the
organisation. The Board has approved Enterprise Risk Management Policy (ERMP) to
effectively address financial, operational, business, compliance and strategic risk. A
structured enterprise risk management program has been formulated and implemented. Refer
to the MDA Section in this Report for risks and threats applicable to your Company.
21. Corporate Governance:
The Company is committed to maintain the highest standards of corporate
governance requirements as set out by SEBI. The Report on Corporate Governance as
stipulated under SEBI Regulations, 2015 forms an integral part of this Report. The
requisite Compliance Certificate is obtained from MNB & Co. LLP, Company Secretaries
regarding compliance of conditions of Corporate Governance as stipulated under Part E of
Schedule V of SEBI Regulations 2015, is annexed to the Corporate Governance Report.
22. Management Discussion and Analysis Report ("MDA"):
The MDA Report on the operation of the Company as required under the
SEBI Regulations, 2015, is provided in a separate section and forms part of this Report.
23. Vigil mechanism:
Your Company is committed to highest standards of ethical, moral and
legal business conduct. Accordingly, the Board of Directors has formulated Whistle Blower
Policy and Vigil Mechanism for its directors and employees and any director or employee
may make protected disclosures to the Chairman of the Audit Committee. No personnel have
been denied access to the Audit Committee.
24. Directors' Responsibility Statement:
Pursuant to Sections 134(3)(c) & 134(5) of the Act, your Directors
hereby confirm that:
a. in the preparation of the annual accounts for the financial year
ended March 31, 2024, the applicable accounting standards have been followed along with
proper explanation relating to material departures;
b. the directors have selected such accounting policies and applied
them consistently and made judgments and estimates that are reasonable and prudent so as
to give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the Company at the end of the
financial year and of the profit and loss of the Company for the FY 2023-24;
c. the directors have taken proper and sufficient care for the
maintenance of adequate accounting records in accordance with the provisions of the Act
for safeguarding the assets of the Company and for preventing and detecting fraud and
other irregularities;
d. the directors have prepared the annual accounts on a going concern
basis;
e. the directors have laid down internal financial controls to be
followed by the Company and that such internal financial controls are adequate and were
operating effectively; and
f. the directors have devised proper systems to ensure compliance with
the provisions of all applicable laws and that such systems were adequate and operating
effectively.
25. Miscellaneous:
During the year, there was no change in the general nature of business
of your Company. No material change or commitment has occurred which would have affected
the financial position of your Company between the end of the financial year to which the
financial statements relate and the date of the report. No significant and material order
was passed by the regulators or courts or tribunals which would have impacted the going
concern status and your Company's operations in future. No amount was required to be
transferred to General Reserve. No share with differential rights was issued by your
Company nor did your Company issue any equity share as sweat equity share. The Company has
complied with provisions relating to the constitution of Internal Complaints
Committee under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace
(Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013. Further, based on the Policy on
Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal of Sexual Harassment of women at workplace and
confirmation received from the Internal Complaints Committee of your Company, no case of
sexual harassment was reported during the year under review. No fraud took place in the
Company during the year and hence, no such reporting was made to the Audit Committee and
the Board under Section 143(12) of the Companies Act, 2013 read with Rule 13 of the
Companies (Audit and Auditors) Rules, 2014. There were no proceedings initiated/pending
against the Company under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016. Further, there were no
instances of one time settlement with the Banker or Financial Institution. The Board of
Directors affirms that the Directors have devised proper systems to ensure compliance with
the provisions of all applicable Secretarial Standards issued by the Institute of
Companies Secretaries of India and that such systems are adequate and operating
effectively. The Company has complied with the applicable Secretarial
Standards.
26.Acknowledgements:
Your Directors thank the government authorities, financial
institutions, banks, customers, suppliers, members, employees and other business
associates of your Company, who through their continued support and co-operation, have
helped as partners in your Company's progress and achievement of its objectives.
For and on behalf of the Board of Directors |
|
|
Sd/- |
|
Balkrishan Goenka |
July 24, 2024 |
Chairman |
Mumbai |
DIN 00270175 |