Your directors have pleasure in presenting the Twenty Fourth Annual Report of the Company along withCompany's Audited Financial Statements (Standalone and Consolidated) for the Financial Year ended onMarch 31, 2024.
(Amount in INR Lakhs)
Particulars
Consolidated
Standalone
FY 2023-24
FY 2022-23
Total Revenue (including otherIncome)
466,225.28
739,030.54
47,015.46
43,744.29
Gross Profit before Interest,Depreciation & Tax
123,930.42
216,607.82
141.01
609.27
Less: Interest
29.91
40.98
29.60
40.47
Depreciation
28,467.99
26,554.87
11.23
6.78
Profit before Tax
95,432.52
190,011.97
100.18
1,420.00
Less: Provision for Tax
27,414.70
53,055.25
35.01
496.20
Less: Deferred Tax
(734.66)
(142.64)
(49.54)
(10.10)
Profit after Tax
68,752.48
137,099.35
114.71
933.90
Add: Other comprehensiveincome
9,613.84
39,550.58
38.85
537.07
Total comprehensive income forthe period
78,366.32
176,649.95
153.56
1,470.97
Balance Brought forward fromthe previous year
488,804.47
358,130.82
1,586.60
6,699.33
Profit available forappropriations
557,888.05
494,858.24
1,713.35
7,640.36
Less: Dividend
0
6,053.77
Profit Carried to Balance Sheet
State of Affairs / Company's performance
During the year under review, your Company achieved a consolidated turnover of Rs.466,225.28 lakhs asagainst Rs.739,030.54 lakhs in the previous year. Your Company has earned a consolidated gross profit ofRs.123,930.42 lakhs before interest, depreciation and tax as against Rs.216,607.82 lakhs in the previous year.After deducting financial charges of Rs.29.91 lakhs, depreciation of Rs.28,467.99 lakhs and provision for tax ofRs.26,680.04 lakhs, the operations resulted in a net profit of Rs.68,752.48 lakhs as against Rs.137,099.35 lakhsin the previous year.
As per the requirements of Rule 8 (5) (ii) of Companies (Accounts) Rules, 2014, your Board of Directorsspecify that, there is no significant change in the nature of business of the Company during the lastfinancial year.
There are no Material Changes and Commitments affecting the financial position of the Company whichoccurred between the end of the financial year to which the financial statements relate and the date of thisReport.
As on the date of this report, the Company has a paid-up share capital of Rs. 403,70,43,746 divided into201,85,21,873 Equity Shares of Rs. 2/- each.
Listing fees has been paid for the year 2023-24 to both the Exchanges.
Your Company has not proposed to transfer any amount tothe general reserve.
Your Company has not accepted any deposits falling withinthe meaning of Section 73 of the Companies Act, 2013 readwith the Companies (Acceptance of Deposits) Rules, 2014during the financial year.
During the year under review, the Board has decided not todeclare any dividend.
The company makes investments or extendsloans/guarantees to its wholly-owned subsidiaries for theirbusiness purposes. Details of loans, guarantees andinvestments covered under Section 186 of the CompaniesAct, 2013, along with the purpose for which such loan orguarantee was proposed to be utilized by the recipient,form part of the notes to the financial statements providedin this annual report.
During the year under review, there have been no suchmaterial changes and commitments that have affected thefinancial position of the Company.
The Company has 16 subsidiaries as of March 31, 2024.There was no material change in the nature of the businesscarried on by the subsidiaries.
Pursuant to first proviso to Sub-Section (3) of Section 129read with Rule 5 of Companies (Accounts) Rules, 2014, aseparate statement containing the salient features of theFinancial Statements of the Subsidiary Companies/Associate Companies/Joint in "Part-A: Subsidiaries" isattached to Financial Statements of the Company whichforms a part of this Annual Report, other information underform AOC-1 is mentioned as below:
1. Names of subsidiaries which are yet to commenceoperations: NIL
2. Names of subsidiaries which have been liquidated orsold during the year: NIL
Statement pursuant to Section 129 (3) of the CompaniesAct, 2013 related to Associate Companies and JointVentures "Part-B: Associates and Joint Ventures" isattached to Financial Statements of the Company whichforms a part of this Annual Report.
In compliance with Regulation 34 of the SEBI (ListingObligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations,2015 and in compliance with the provisions of Section129(3) and other applicable provisions of the CompaniesAct, 2013 and the Indian Accounting Standards Ind AS-110and other applicable Accounting Standards, yourDirectors have pleasure in attaching the consolidatedfinancial statements for the financial year ended March31, 2024, which forms part of the Annual Report.
The Company's remuneration Policy is market-driven and aims at attracting and retaining highperformance talent. Brightcom follows acompensation mix of fixed pay, benefits andperformance-based variable pay, which is paidbased on the business performance and goals ofthe different business units/ overall company. Theremunerations to the Directors & Key ManagerialPersonnel are determined by the Nomination andRemuneration Committee and recommended to theBoard for its approval. The above remunerationsshall be subject to the approval of the shareholdersof the Company, wherever required by the statute.
The Nomination and Remuneration Policy has beenupdated on the website of the Company athttps://www.brightcomgroup.com/investors/policie
si.
The Company has received necessary declarationfrom the Independent Directors as required underSection 149(7) of the Act and LODR Regulationsconfirming that they meet the criteria ofindependence as laid down in Section 149(6) of theAct and that of LODR Regulations.
Pursuant to the provisions of Regulation 34 read withSchedule V of the SEBI (Listing Obligations andDisclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015, theManagement Discussion and Analysis is presented ina separate section forming part of this Annual Report.As required under the provisions of the ListingRegulations, the Audit Committee of the Company hasreviewed the Management Discussion and Analysisreport of the Company for the year ended March 31,2024. A detailed report on Management Discussion &Analysis is provided as a separate disclosure in theannual report.
All related party transactions that were entered intoduring the financial year were in the ordinary courseof the business of the Company and were on an arm'slength basis. There were no materially significantrelated party transactions entered by the Companyduring the year with the Promoters, Directors, KeyManagerial Personnel or other persons which mayhave a potential conflict with the interest of theCompany.
The policy on related party transactions as approvedby the Audit Committee and the Board of Directors ishosted on the website of the Companywww.brightcomgroup.com. Prior omnibus approvalsfrom the Audit Committee are obtained fortransactions which are repetitive and also normal innature. Further, disclosures are made to theCommittee and the Board on a quarterly basis.
None of the Directors had any pecuniary relationshipor transactions with the Company, other than to theextent of their shareholding and except the paymentsmade to them in the form of remuneration/sitting fee.
Since all related party transactions entered into bythe Company were in the ordinary course of businessand were on an arm's length basis, the requirement offurnishing the requisite details in Form AOC-2 is notapplicable to the Company.
The details of related party disclosures form part ofthe notes to the financial statements provided in thisannual report.
The Company has put in place a Whistle Blower Policyand has established the necessary vigil mechanismas defined under Regulation 22 of SEBI (ListingObligations and Disclosure Requirements), 2015 foremployees and others to report concerns aboutunethical behaviour.
The Company has a vigil mechanism policy to dealwith instances of fraud and mismanagement, if any.The vigil mechanism policy is uploaded on thewebsite of the Company
https://www.brightcomgroup.com/investors/policie
si,
The Policy provides for adequate safeguardsagainst victimization of employees who avail of themechanism and also provides for direct access tothe Chairman of the Audit Committee. It is affirmedthat no personnel of the Company have beendenied access to the Audit Committee.
Disclosure as required under Section 22 of SexualHarassment of women at workplace (Prevention,Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013
In order to comply with the provisions of the SexualHarassment of Women at Work Place (Prevention,Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 and Rulesframed thereunder, the Company has formulatedand implemented a policy on prevention,prohibition and redressal of complaints related tosexual harassment of women at the work place. Allwomen employees permanent, temporary orcontractual are covered under the above policy.Your Company has zero tolerance towards sexualharassment at the workplace and the details ofsexual harassment complaints as per the provisionsof the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace(Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013and the Rules thereunder are as follows:
• No. of Complaints received: Nil
• No. of Complaints disposed-off: Not Applicable
The Company has constituted an InternalComplaints Committee for redressal of complaintsand is committed to provide equal opportunitieswithout regard to their race, caste, sex, religion,colour, nationality, disability, etc. All womenassociate (permanent, temporary, contractual andtrainees) as well as any women visiting theCompany's office/ premises or women serviceproviders are covered under this policy. Allemployees are treated with dignity with a view tomaintain a work environment free of sexualharassment whether physical, verbal orpsychological.
The Company has also adopted the followingpolicies, as required by Companies Act, 2013 andSEBI (Listing Obligation and DisclosureRequirements) Regulations, 2015 and the same areavailable on the website of the Company atwww.brightcomgroup.com
1. Code of Conduct & Ethics for Board of Directors &Senior Management;
2. Terms & Conditions of Appointment of IndependentDirectors
3. Corporate Social Responsibility Policy
4. Policy for related party transaction
5. Vigil Mechanism (Whistle blower policy)
6. Policy for Determining Material Subsidiaries
7. Policy for Determining of Materiality of an Event
8. Criteria for making payment for non-executiveDirectors
9. Nomination & Remuneration Policy
10. Familiarization program of Independent Director
11. Code of Regulation & Prohibition of Insider Trading
12. Code of practices and procedures for fairdisclosure of UPSI
13. Document preservation policy
14. Policy for evaluation performance of the Board
15. Policy for disclosure of material information
16. Policy for sexual harassment
17. Staff advances policy
18. Policy for determination of legitimate purposeCorporate Governance
Pursuant to the provisions of Chapter IV read withSchedule V of SEBI (Listing Obligations and DisclosureRequirements) Regulations, 2015, a separate sectionon Corporate Governance has been incorporated inthe Annual Report for the information of theshareholders. A certificate from the PracticingCompany Secretary regarding compliance with theconditions of Corporate Governance as stipulatedunder the said Schedule V of SEBI (Listing Obligationsand Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015 alsoforms part of this Annual Report.
Code of Conduct for Prevention of Insider Trading inBrightcom Securities ("BCG Code") in accordance withSecurities and Exchange Board of India (Prohibition ofInsider Trading) (Amendment) Regulations, 2018 isuploaded on the website of the Company. Theobjective of the PIT Code is to protect the interest ofshareholders at large, to prevent misuse of anyunpublished price sensitive information and toprevent any insider trading activity by dealing inshares of the Company by its Designated Persons andtheir immediate relatives. Mr. Raghunath Allamsetty isthe Compliance Officer under the PIT Code as on thedate of this report.
The following are the details of the Committeesduring the Financial Year 2023-24:
1. Audit Committee;
2. Nomination and Remuneration Committee;
3. Stakeholders' Relationship Committee;
4. Corporate Social Responsibility Committee;
5. Warrants & Share Allotment Committee;
6. Risk Management Committee*
The composition of each of the above Committees,their respective roles and responsibilities areprovided in detail in the Corporate GovernanceReport. Apart from the abovementionedCommittees, the Company also has an InternalComplaints Committee for redressal of complaintsand is committed to provide equal opportunitieswithout regard to their race, caste, sex, religion,colour, nationality, disability, etc.
* Risk Management Committee formed with effectfrom September 16, 2021.
In pursuance of Section 152 of the Companies Act,2013 and the Rules framed there under Mr.Raghunath Allamsetty, Executive Director is liable toretire by rotation.
Pursuant to the provisions of regulation 36 of theSEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure
Requirements) Regulations, 2015 and SecretarialStandard-2 on General Meetings issued by ICSI,brief resume and other disclosures relating to theDirectors who are proposed to be appointed/ re¬appointed are given in the Annexure to the Notice ofthe 25th AGM.
The Company has received declarations from allthe Independent Directors of the Companyconfirming that they meet with criteria ofindependence as prescribed under Section 149(6)of the Act and under Regulation 16(1)(b) of SEBIListing Regulations. None of the directors of thecompany is disqualified under the provisions of theCompanies Act, 2013 ('Act') or under the SEBI(Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements)Regulations, 2015. All Independent Directors haveprovided confirmations as contemplated undersection 149(7) of the Act.
Mr. Kallol Sen (DIN #00671018) was appointed as anAdditional (Executive) Director under the category ofWhole-time (Executive) Director as per the provisionsof Section 149 of the Act read with the Companies(Appointment and Qualification of Directors) Rules,2014, on the Board of the Company with effect fromFebruary 2, 2024 for a period of five years subject toapproval of the shareholders in 24th Annual GeneralMeeting of the Company held on November 21, 2024.He resigned as director of the company on August 11,2024.
Dr. Shambhavi Vedantam Murthy (DIN # 10614482)was appointed as an Additional Director under thecategory of Non-Executive & Independent Director asper the provisions of Section 149 of the Act read withthe Companies (Appointment and Qualification ofDirectors) Rules, 2014, on the Board of the Companywith effect from May 4, 2024 for a period of five yearssubject to approval of the shareholders in 24th AnnualGeneral Meeting of the Company held on November21, 2024 She resigned as director of the company onAugust 11, 2024.
Mr. Ravi Chandran (DIN # 07027731) was appointed asan Additional Director under the category of Non¬Executive & Independent Director as per the provisionsof Section 149 of the Act read with the Companies(Appointment and Qualification of Directors) Rules,2014, on the Board of the Company with effect fromMay 4, 2024 for a period of five years subject toapproval of the shareholders in 24th Annual GeneralMeeting of the Company held on November 21, 2024He resigned as director of the company on August 11,2024.
Mr. Ram Sharma (DIN # 06747944) was appointed asan Additional Director under the category of Non¬Executive & Independent Director as per the provisionsof Section 149 of the Act read with the Companies(Appointment and Qualification of Directors) Rules,2014, on the Board of the Company with effect fromJune 28, 2024 for a period of five years and approvedby the shareholders in 24th Annual General Meeting ofthe Company held on November 21, 2024. He resignedas director of the company on November 23, 2024.
Dr. Chandrika Setu Sharma (DIN # 10753180) wasappointed as an Additional Director under thecategory of Non-Executive & Independent Director asper the provisions of Section 149 of the Act read withthe Companies (Appointment and Qualification ofDirectors) Rules, 2014, on the Board of the Companywith effect from August 1, 2024 for a period of fiveyears and approved by the shareholders in 24thAnnual General Meeting of the Company held onNovember 21, 2024 She resigned as director of thecompany on November 23, 2024.
Mr. Satyanarayana Yadavally (DIN # 07583181) wasappointed as an Additional Director under thecategory of Non-Executive & Independent Directoras per the provisions of Section 149 of the Act readwith the Companies (Appointment andQualification of Directors) Rules, 2014, on the Boardof the Company with effect from August 1, 2024 for aperiod of five years and approved by theshareholders in 24th Annual General Meeting of theCompany held on November 21, 2024. He resignedas director of the company on December 23, 2024.
Mr. Paladugu Venkata Subbarao (DIN # 10844145)was appointed as an Additional Director under thecategory of Non-Executive & Independent Directoras per the provisions of Section 149 of the Act readwith the Companies (Appointment andQualification of Directors) Rules, 2014, on the Boardof the Company with effect from November 30, 2024for a period of five years subject to approval by theshareholders in 25th Annual General Meeting of theCompany held on February 7, 2025.
Ms. Deepika Daliya (DIN # 10844736) was appointedas an Additional Director under the category ofNon-Executive & Independent Director as per theprovisions of Section 149 of the Act read with theCompanies (Appointment and Qualification ofDirectors) Rules, 2014, on the Board of the Companywith effect from November 30, 2024 for a period offive years subject to approval by the shareholdersin 25th Annual General Meeting of the Companyheld on February 7, 2025.
Mr. Ali Akber Bakir Bhoy Mamuwala (DIN # 07428015)was appointed as an Additional Director under thecategory of Non-Executive & Independent Directoras per the provisions of Section 149 of the Act readwith the Companies (Appointment andQualification of Directors) Rules, 2014, on the Boardof the Company with effect from January 10, 2025for a period of five years subject to approval by theshareholders in 25th Annual General Meeting of theCompany held on February 7, 2025.
The Company has a professional Board with anoptimum combination of executive, non-executiveand independent directors (including oneindependent woman director) who bring to the tablethe right mix of knowledge, skill and expertise. TheBoard provides strategic guidance and direction tothe Company in achieving its business objectives andprotecting the interest of the stakeholders.
During the year, Fourteen (14) meetings of Board ofDirectors of the Company were convened and held inaccordance with the provisions of the Companies Act,2013. The date(s) of the Board Meeting, attendance bythe directors is given in the Corporate GovernanceReport forming part of this Annual Report. Themaximum time-gap between any two consecutivemeetings was within the period prescribed under theCompanies Act, 2013 and SEBI (Listing Obligations andDisclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015.
None of the Directors are disqualified under Section164(2) of the Act. Certificate on non-disqualification,as required under Regulation 34 of SEBI (ListingObligation & Disclosure Requirements) Regulations,2015 is forming part of the Corporate GovernanceReport forming part of this Annual Report.
Audit Committee of the Company meets therequirements of section 177 of the Companies Act,2013 and Regulation 18 of SEBI (Listing Obligations andDisclosure Requirements) Regulations 2015. Thedetails of the composition of the Audit Committee asrequired under the provisions of Section 177(8) of theCompanies Act, 2013 is given in the CorporateGovernance Report furnished as part of the AnnualReport. During the year under review, the Board hasaccepted all the recommendations of the AuditCommittee.
The Board of Directors of the Company comprises ofoptimum number of Independent Directors. Based onthe confirmation/disclosures received from theDirectors and on evaluation of the relationshipsdisclosed, the following Non-Executive Directors areIndependent in terms of Regulation 16(1)(b) of the SEBI(Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements)Regulations, 2015 and Section 149(6) of the Act:
All the Independent Directors have registeredthemselves with the Independent Director's Data Bank.The Company has received necessary declarationsfrom each Independent Director under Section 149 ofthe Act and Regulation 25 of the Listing Regulations,confirming that he / she meets the criteria ofindependence laid down in Section 149 of the Act andRegulation 16(1)(b) of the Listing Regulations.
Evaluation of performance of the Board, Membersof the Board and the Committees of the Board ofDirectors
Pursuant to the provisions of the Companies Act, 2013and SEBI (Listing Obligations and DisclosuresRequirements) Regulations, 2015, a formal evaluation ofthe performance of the Board, its Committees, theChairman and the individual directors was carried out forthe financial year 2023-24.
Structured forms covering evaluation of Board,Committees of the Board, Chairperson, IndependentDirectors and Non-Independent Directors were circulatedto all the Directors and Directors were requested to rateagainst various criteria such as composition of Board,receipt of regular inputs and information, functioning,performance and structure of Board Committees, skill set,knowledge and expertise of directors, preparation andcontribution at Board meetings, leadership etc. Theperformance evaluation of the respective Committeesand that of independent and non-independent directorswas done by the Board excluding the director beingevaluated.
Evaluation of all Board members is performed on anannual basis. The evaluation is performed by the Boardwith specific focus on the performance and effectivefunctioning of the Board and Individual Directors and thesame is taken note by the Nomination and RemunerationCum Compensation Committee.
The Nomination and Remuneration Committee has laiddown criteria for performance evaluation of Directors,Chairperson, Board Level Committees and the Board as awhole and also the evaluation process for the same. TheNomination and Remuneration Committee has reviewedthe performance evaluation of the Directors, Chairperson,Audit Committee and Stakeholders RelationshipCommittee and the Board as a whole.
Further, as per the SEBI (Listing Obligation & DisclosureRequirements) Regulations, 2015, the following is thematrix of skills and competencies on which all Directorsare evaluated:
• Governance and Board service
• Business Understanding
• Risk/Legal/Regulatory Compliance
• Information Technology/ Accounting/FinancialExperience
• Industry/Sector Knowledge
• Strategy development and implementation
The statement indicating the manner in which formalannual evaluation of the Directors, the Board and theBoard level Committees are given in the report onCorporate Governance, which forms part of this AnnualReport.
In addition to giving a formal appointment letter tothe newly appointed Director on the Board, a detailedinduction plan covering the role, function, duties,responsibilities and the details of compliancerequirements expected from the director under theCompanies Act, 2013 and relevant Regulations of SEBI(Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements)Regulations, 2015 are given and explained to a newDirector.
Pursuant to Regulation 25(7) of SEBI (ListingObligations and Disclosure Requirements)Regulations, 2015 ("Listing Regulations"), conductingfamiliarization programmes for the Directors in theCompany is a continuous process, whereby Directorsare informed, either through presentations at theBoard or committee meetings, board notes,interactions or otherwise about industry outlook,business operations, business model, futurestrategies, business plans, competitors, marketpositions, products & new launches, internal andoperational controls over financial reporting, budgets,analysis on the operations of the Company, role,rights, responsibilities of independent directors andany other relevant information. Pursuant to Regulation46 of Listing Regulations, the details required areavailable on the Company's website atwww.brightcomgroup.com
The Company's policy on directors' appointment andremuneration and other matters provided in section178(3) of the Act have been disclosed in the corporategovernance report, which forms part of this annualreport and is also hosted on the Company's websitewww.brightcomgroup.com
M/s. P. Murali & Co., Chartered Accountants,Hyderabad (Firm Registration No. 007257S) wasappointed as Statutory Auditors of the Company for aperiod of 5 consecutive years, consent of theMembers accorded in the held 23rd Annual GeneralMeeting of the Company.
Independent Auditors' Report(s) to the Members ofthe Company in respect of the Standalone FinancialStatements and the Consolidated FinancialStatements for the Financial Year ended March 31,2024, form part of this Annual Report and containsome qualification(s) or adverse observations. TheBoard has duly examined the Statutory Auditors'
Report to the consolidated and standalone financialstatements, the clarifications are provided in thelater part of this document.
There have been no instances of fraud reported bythe Auditors including the Statutory of the Companyunder Section 143(12) of the Companies Act, 2013and the Rules framed there under either to theCompany or to the Central Government.
M/s. P. Murali & Co., Chartered Accountants,Hyderabad (Firm Registration No. 007257S),Hyderabad resigned from the position of StatutoryAuditors of the Company and the same informed tothe members on August 12, 2023 and therefore, theBoard of Directors of your Company, on therecommendation of the Audit Committee, haverecommended to the members for appointment ofM/s. PR Chandra & Co., Chartered Accountants,Hyderabad (Firm Registration No. 018985S) asStatutory Auditors of the Company for the financialyear 2023-24, subject to the approval ofshareholders in the ensuing 25th Annual GeneralMeeting of the Company to be held on February 7,2025.
The company does not have in place adequateinternal financial controls with reference to itsfinancial statements. The details relating to internalfinancial controls and their adequacy and RiskManagement are included in the ManagementDiscussion and Analysis Report.
Pursuant to the provisions of Section 204 of theCompanies Act, 2013, the Board of Directors, onrecommendation of the Audit Committee,appointed Saurabh Poddar & Associates, PracticingCompany Secretary, Hyderabad to undertake theSecretarial Audit of the Company. The Companyhas received a certificate from the SecretarialAuditor, inter-alia, confirming that theirappointment is within the limits laid down by theAct and rules made thereunder, is as per the termprovided under the Act, she is not disqualified forbeing appointed as Secretarial Auditor under theprovisions of applicable laws and also that thereare no pending proceedings against her involvingmatters of professional misconduct.
The Secretarial Audit Report for the Financial Yearended March 31, 2024, in Form MR-3 is annexed to theBoard's Report - Annexure-1 and forms part of thisReport. The Secretarial Auditors' Report to theMembers of the Company for the Financial Yearended March 31, 2024, contains qualification(s) oradverse observations.
The Company has complied with applicableprovisions of the Secretarial Standards issued by theInstitute of Company Secretaries of India andapproved by the Government of India under Section118(10) of the Companies Act, 2013.
Pursuant to Section 134(3)(a) and Section 92(3) of theCompanies Act, 2013 read with Rule 12 of theCompanies (Management and Administration) Rules,2014, the annual return of the Company for theFinancial Year 2023-24 can be accessed through theweb link on the Company's websitehttps://www.brightcomgroup.com/investors/
As per the SEBI (Prohibition of Insider Trading)Regulation, 2015, the Company has adopted a Code ofConduct of Insider Trading. The Company hasappointed Mr. Raghunath Allamsetty, ExecutiveDirector of the Company, as Compliance Officer forsetting forth the procedures and implementation ofthe Code for trading in Company's Equity Shares.During the year under review, there has been a duecompliance of the said Code.
No Salary is being paid to Directors of the Companyincluding whole-time Director other than sitting fee toIndependent Directors and hence the details asrequired to be disclosed under Section 197 of the Actread with Rule 5(1) of the Companies (Appointmentand Remuneration to Key Managerial Personnel)Rules, 2014 is not applicable. None of the employees ofthe Company is receiving a salary of more than Rs.8.50 lakhs per month.
The information as per Rule 5(2) of the Companies(Appointment and Remuneration of ManagerialPersonnel) Rules, 2014 will be provided upon requestby any Member of the Company. In terms of Section136 of the Companies Act, 2013, the Annual Reportincluding the Board's Report and the Audited
Accounts are being sent to the Members excluding thesame. Any Member interested in obtaining a copy of thesame may write to the Executive Director at the RegisteredOffice of the Company.
Pursuant to Regulation 40 of SEBI (LODR) Regulations, 2015,as amended vide Notification No. SEBI/LAD-NRO/GN/2018/24dated 8th June, 2018 and Press Release No: 49/2018 dated3rd December, 2018, shareholders may please note that,with effect from 1st April, 2019, transfer of shares (excepttransmission and transposition of shares) will be indematerialized form only. Therefore, the shareholders arerequested to dematerialize their shares in order to have ahassle-free transfer. Members can contact the Company orCompany's Registrars and Transfer Agents, AarthiConsultants Private Limited for assistance in this regard.
In response to the qualifications by the Statutory Auditors in Audit report, the Company's responses are given below:
Sl. No
Auditors Qualification
Directors Reply.
1.a.
As referred in Point No. 72, the company's investment inYbrant Media Acquisition Inc, one of the subsidiaries ofthe company has negative equity/net worth indicatingthe existence of an indicator of impairment. But thecompany has neither impaired nor created any provisionagainst the value of Investments in Ybrant MediaAcquisition Inc.
YMA used to own the asset, LYCOS Inc. That iscurrently under the receivership of the seller(Daum Corporation). The Holding Company isworking with Daum Corporation to complete theacquisition and hence investment is not yetimpaired.
1.b.
As referred in Point No. 177[d], "the company" has toappoint at least one independent director on its board ofdirectors as a director on the board of directors of eachof its material subsidiaries within fifteen days of the dateof its order. Refer note no 59 of Consolidated financialstatements.
The Company appointed independent Directorson the Board of Subsidiaries of the Company andthe same was intimated to the Exchanges as onApril 28, 2023. Subsequent to their resignationfrom the Brightcom board, the Company hasappointed newly appointed IndependentDirectors on the Board of Subsidiaries of theCompany on October 24, 2024.
1.c.
As referred in Point No. 177[e] "the company" has todisseminate the standalone financial statements of eachof its subsidiaries on its website, for the period between FY2014-15 and FY 2021-22. Refer note no 60 of consolidatedfinancial statements "Consequent to the order thecompany has uploaded the financial statements/Financial information of its subsidiaries in its website".
The Company presented the Financialstatements of its subsidiaries on its website andthe same intimated to the Exchange as on April28, 2023.
1.d.
The opening balances of Investments, receivables andpayables with related to subsidiaries in standalonefinancial statements are subject to the confirmation ofpeer review auditor and due to its consequent effect, theclosing balances thereof are also subject to variation.
The closing balances of Investments, receivablesand payables with related to subsidiaries for theprevious year will be reviewed by the AuditCommittee as directed by SEBI and will get thePeer review done.
1.e.
SEBI vide its letter dated 13th April 2023, has issued interimorder cum show cause notice to the company seekingclarifications with respect to certain issues. The finaloutcome of the investigation is yet to come by the time ofour Report. Refer note no 58 of Consolidated financialstatements.
The Company filed its clarification and reply tothe Show Cause Notice.
1.f.
The Standalone Financial Statements of the company forthe previous financial year i.e., for the year ended31.03.2022 have been audited by predecessor auditor. Thefigures as at 31.03.2022 are subject to variation in view ofthe SEBI's observations/directions and consequent effecton the closing balances thereof as at 31.03.2023.
The Company filed its clarification and reply to theShow Cause Notice.
2
"The company" has not made any provision forimpairment of investments of Rs.16,886.81 lakhs made inM/s Vuchi Media Private Limited despite the fact that theproposed acquisition transaction was revoked by boththe parties and have cancelled the definitive sharepurchase agreement that was entered into.
1,40,00,000 Equity shares allotted to Vuchi Mediaare being annulled, the legal process is inunderway.
The Company affirms that the annual listing fees for the year 2023-24 has been paid to both NationalStock Exchange of India Limited (NSE) and BSE Limited.
The particulars as prescribed under sub-section (3)(m) of Section 134 of the Companies Act, 2013, readwith the Companies (Accounts) Rules, 2014, are as follows:
The operations of your company do not consume high levels of energy. The Company uses electricenergy for its equipment such as computer terminals, air conditioners, lighting and utilities in the workpremises. Adequate measures have been taken to conserve energy by using energy-efficient computersand equipment with the latest technologies.
However, the requirement of disclosure of particulars with respect to conservation of energy asprescribed in the Section 134(m) of the Companies Act, 2013, read with Rule 8(3) of Companies(Accounts) Rules, 2014 are not applicable to the Company and hence not provided.
The Information Technology (it) and Information Technology Enabled Services (ITES) Industry are subjectto high rate of technological obsolescence. The Company's business is Digital Marketing and SoftwareDevelopment. The change in the industry paradigm is dynamic. The Company is continuously updatingthese changes and constantly evaluating these developments to improve its capabilities towards theindustry. Accordingly, research and development of new services, display advertising, platforms andmethodologies, continue to be of importance to us. This allows us to enhance quality, productivity andcustomer satisfaction through continuous improvements and innovations. As part of the continuousthrust on R&D, the company is also focused on Solutions Research and Vertical Focus Research. Thesewould identify new ideas which would enable business process improvement for customers and would bealigned with the business strategy and growth opportunities of the organization. Our R & D activities arenot capital intensive and we do not specifically provide for the same in our books.
The particulars of earnings and expenditure in foreign exchange during the year are given in notes toStandalone financial statements.
Regulation 34(2)(f) of the Listing Regulations mandates the inclusion of Business Responsibility Report("BRR") as part of the Annual Report for top 500 listed companies which was thereafter amended to top1000 listed companies with effect from December 26, 2019, based on market capitalization as on March 31every year. In compliance with the Listing Regulations, BRR of your Company for the Financial Year 2023¬24 is appended as Annexure - II to this Report.
Your Company strongly believes that sustainable and inclusive growth is possible by using the levers ofenvironmental and social responsibility while setting aspirational targets and improving economicperformance to ensure business continuity and rapid growth.
In terms of Section 123, 124 and 125 of the Companies Act, 2013, the unclaimed dividends and shareswherein the dividends that are unclaimed for a period of seven consecutive years relating to the FinalDividend will be transferred to the IEPF Fund/Suspense account respectively. Further, as per the provisionsof Section 125, the share(s) wherein the dividend is unclaimed for a period of consecutive seven (07)years will be transferred to the suspense account as prescribed by the IEPF Rules, therefore theshareholders whose dividends are unclaimed for consecutive seven years from 2015-16 (list of theshareholders along with the unclaimed dividend details are available on the website of the Companywww.brightcomgroup.com are requested to claim their unclaimed dividend at the earliest.
Shareholders are requested to ensure their dividends are encashed on time. In case of non-encashmentof dividends, shareholders are advised to approach the Company or RTA to claim their unclaimeddividends.
The provisions of Section 135 of the Companies Act, 2013 are applicable to the Company. The CorporateSocial Responsibility Committee of the Company meets the requirements of Section 135 of theCompanies Act, 2013. The details of the composition of the Corporate Social Responsibility Committee asrequired under the provisions of Section 135 of the Companies Act, 2013 is given in the CorporateGovernance Report which forms part of this Annual Report.
Pursuant to the provisions of Section 135 of the Companies Act, 2013 and the Rules made thereunder, thebrief outline of the Corporate Social Responsibility ('CSR') policy of the Company and the initiativesundertaken by the Company on the CSR activities during the year are given in Annexure-III to this reportin the format prescribed in the Companies (Corporate Social Responsibility) Rules, 2014. The said policy isavailable on the Company's website at www.brightcomgroup.com
As per the provisions of Section 135 of the Companies Act, 2013, 2% of average Net Profits of the Companyfor the immediately preceding three financial years calculated as per Section 198 of the Companies Act,2013 works out to Rs. 6.56 Lakhs and the Company has spent Rs. 13.12 Lakhs on CSR activities in the areasof Education and Environmental Protection.
The Company has received an intimation from SEBI through its letter dated September 16, 2021, initiatinga Forensic Audit on the Company, and the same is in progress as on the date of this report. SEBI Issued 2Interim orders dated April 13, 2023 & August 22, 2023 in connection with the ongoing investigations and aConfirmatory Order was issued on February 28, 2024 in relation to the Interim Order dated August 22,2023. The Company has submitted appeals with SEBI Appellate Tribunal (SAT) and the proceedings areongoing. However, there are no significant and material orders passed by the regulators or courts ortribunals impacting the going concern status and Company's operations in the future
Pursuant to the requirement of Section 134(3)(c) and 134(5) of the Companies Act, 2013 and on the basisof compliance certificate received from the executives of the Company and subject to disclosures in theAnnual Accounts, as also on the basis of the discussion with the Statutory Auditors of the Company fromtime to time, and to the best of their knowledge and information furnished, the Board of Directors statethat:
i. In preparation of the Annual Accounts for the year ended March 31, 2024, all the applicableAccounting Standards prescribed by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and Companies Act,2013 have been followed and there were no material departures.
ii. We have adopted such accounting policies and applied them consistently and made judgmentsand estimates that are reasonable and prudent to give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of theCompany at the end of the financial year and of the profit of the Company for the financial year endedMarch 31, 2024.
iii. We have taken proper and sufficient care for the maintenance of adequate accounting records inaccordance with the provisions of the Companies Act, 2013 for safeguarding the assets of the Companyand for preventing and detecting fraud and other irregularities.
iv. The Annual Accounts for the year ended March 31, 2024, has been prepared on a going concernbasis.
v. The company does not have in place adequate internal financial controls with reference to itsfinancial statements.
vi. The systems to ensure compliance with the provisions of all applicable laws were in place andwere adequate and operating effectively.
Your directors place on records their sincere appreciation and thanks for the valuable cooperation andsupport received from the employees of the Company at all levels, Company's Bankers, Associates,partners, clients, vendors, and Members of the Company and look forward for the same in equal measurein the coming years.
Date: 10-01-2025Place: Hyderabad
Raghunath AllamsettyExecutive DirectorDIN # 00060018