Your Directors are pleased to present in this AGM their 24th Annual Report together with the Audited Accounts of the Companyhighlighting the business operations and financial results for the year ended March 31,2024.
The financial performance of the Company for the year ended March 31,2024, is summarized below:
Particulars
Year ended31.03.24(Amt. in Rs)
Year ended31.03.23(Amt. in Rs)
Net Sales / Interest Earned / Operating Income
23,469,518
58,261,768
Total Expenditure
14,757,537
55,210,338
Profit/Loss Before Depreciation, Taxes and Extra ordinary Items
87,11,981
30,51,430
Depreciation
11,352,687
21,715,483
Profit/Loss Before Taxes and Extra ordinary Items
(2,640,706)
(18,664,053)
Extra Ordinary Items / Capital Loss
0
Profit Before Taxes
Provision For Taxation:
(i) Current Tax
(ii) Deferred Tax
(714,,881)
(2,143,176)
(iii) Earlier years provisions w/off
Net Profit/(Loss) after Tax
(1,925,825)
(16,520,877)
Equity Share Capital
104,027,550
During the year under review, Company has achieved the turnover of Rs.23.46 Million and Loss of Rs. 1.92 Million as againstturnover of Rs. 58.26 Million and loss of Rs. 16.52 Million respectively for the corresponding previous year.
There have been no material changes and commitments, if any, affecting the financial position of your Company which haveoccurred between the end of financial year of the Company to which the Financial Statements relate and date of this Report. Thecompany has a transparent disclosure announcement mechanism in place as and when such changes occur.
Your Directors do not recommend any dividend due to losses during the year under review.
The company is exploring various strategic initiatives to strengthen its operations in order to enhance its performance. Due to theCOVID-19 and its impact on Edtec's operations due to the closure of schools, the company's operations have been adverselyimpacted. This is due to the fact that the company has reframed its focus in its business offerings during these challenging times,and the company's main focus is on Fintec and Edtec solutions during these times. As the business scenario is gradually andsteadily improving in the Post Covid 19 scenario, we are of the opinion that the Company will definitely come out of all the currenthurdles with flying colors as the company is expected to overcome all the challenges with flying colors.
The chapter of uncertainty continues to cast its shadow resulting in a lack of predictability about how demand will pan out. Weastutely monitor the developments through constant dialogue with our customers to help us modulate how we use our resources toinvest in addressing the growth opportunities expected as normalcy returns. We have extended all help possible from ahumanitarian lens to ensure our employees benefit from working in a safe environment and providing precautionary measures,
including vaccinations. Our Emergency Response Team remains vigil and has ensured that we are ready for any contingency; be itwork from any location - home or office.
Your Directors are of the opinion that there is a need to remain cognizant of the looming uncertainty. Keeping this in mind, we havestrengthened our business on multiple fronts, including infrastructure to enable remote delivery of work and security by bolsteringour digital infrastructure. Our people practices & policies reflect the changed dynamic and have evolved to engage & motivate ourwidely dispersed talent pool who take pride in the fact that they are with an upcoming company.
The present authorized share capital of your Company stands at Rs. 25,00,00,000 comprising of 2,50,00,000 equity shares of facevalue of 10 each.
There is no change in the issued, subscribed and paid-up capital of the Company in this financial year and it stands at Rs.10,40,27,550 comprising of 1,04,02,755 equity shares of Rs. 10 each per share as of March 31,2024.
Pursuant to Section 134(5) of the Companies Act, 2013, the board of directors, to the best of their knowledge and ability, confirmthat:
1. In the preparation of the annual accounts, the applicable accounting standards have been followed and there are no materialdepartures.
2. The directors had selected such accounting policies and applied them consistently and made judgments and estimates thatare reasonable and prudent to give a true and fair view of the situation of the Company at the end of the financial year and of theprofit of the Company for that period.
3. The directors had taken proper and sufficient care for the maintenance of adequate accounting records in accordance with theprovisions of the Act for safeguarding the assets of the Company and for preventing and detecting fraud and otherirregularities.
4. The directors had prepared the annual accounts on a going concern basis.
5. The directors had laid down internal financial controls to be followed by the Company and such internal financial controls areadequate and operating effectively.
6. The directors had devised proper systems to ensure compliance with the provisions of all applicable laws and that suchsystems were adequate and operating effectively.
Details of the meetings of the board and board Committees, given in corporate governance report, which forms part of this report.BOARD EVALUATION:
The board of directors has carried out an annual evaluation of its own performance, Board committees and Individual directorspursuant to the provisions of the Act and the corporate governance requirements as prescribed by Securities and Exchange Boardof India (“SEBI”) under regulation 27 of the SEBI(LODR) Regulations 2015.The performance of the Board was evaluated by theBoard after seeking inputs from all the directors on the basis of the criteria such as the Board composition and structure,effectiveness of board processes, information and functioning, etc. The performance of the committees was evaluated by the boardafter seeking inputs from the committee members based on the criteria such as the composition of committees, effectiveness ofcommittee meetings, etc. The Board and the Nomination and Remuneration Committee reviewed the performance of the individualdirectors based on the criteria such as the contribution of the individual directors to the Board and committee meetings likepreparedness on the issues to be discussed, meaningful and constructive contribution and inputs in meetings, etc. In addition, theChairman was also evaluated on the key aspects of his role.
In a separate meeting of independent Directors, performance of non-independent directors, performance of the board as a wholeand performance of the Chairman was evaluated, considering the views of executive directors and non-executive directors. Thesame was discussed in the board meeting that followed the meeting of the independent Directors, at which the performance of theBoard, its committees and individual directors was also discussed.
1. Observations of Board evaluation carried out for the year: Nil.
2. Previous Years observations and actions taken: Nil.
3. Proposed actions based current year Observations: Nil
The Company's policy on director's appointment and remuneration and other matters provided in Section 178(3) of the Act hasbeen disclosed in the corporate governance report, which forms part of the director's report.
In terms with Section 149 (7) of the Companies Act, 2013, All the Independent Directors of the Company have declared that theymeet the criteria of Independence in terms of Section 149(6) of the Companies Act, 2013 and sEbI (LODR) regulations,2015.Hence that there is no change in status of Independence. The web link where details of familiarization programs imparted toIndependent Directors: https://www.firstfintec.com/.
In accordance with the provisions of Section 152 of the Companies Act, 2013 and the Company's Articles of Association Dr.(Mrs.)Leena Vivek, Director retired by rotation at the 24th Annual General Meeting and being eligible offered herself for re-appointment,and her appointment had been consented by 24th AGM.
Mr. Sailesh Pethe and Mr. Rajan Pillai completes their second term of 5 years also as independent directors and they will hold theiroffices as independent directors till the conclusion of forthcoming AGM. The Board placed on record its deep appreciation of thecontributions made by Mr. Sailesh Pethe and Mr. Rajan Pillai during their tenure as independent directors of the Company andwished them all success in their future career endeavour.
M/s RPSP & Associates, Chartered Accountants with Ms. Radhika Prabhu as Partner were appointed as Internal Auditors of theCompany w.e.f. from the date of forthcoming AGM in addition to M/s. JBRK & Co., Chartered Accountants with Mr. RanganathParankusam as Partner who were appointed as Internal Auditors of the Company w.e.f. 30th May 2022.
Mr. Ajaykumar Vishwakarma resigned as Company Secretary w.e.f. 15th May, 2023 and Mrs. Philby Phillip was appointed asCompany Secretary w.e.f. 16th May, 2023.
Ms. G.A.Aarti has been Manager of the company with effect from September 29, 2021.
Mr. Abhishek Kotulkar and Mr. V. S. R. Sastri have been appointed as Independent Directors with effectt from the date of ensuingAGM, which is schedule to be held on September 30th , 2024.
Pursuant to Section 149(7) of the Act the Company has received declaration of Independence from all the Independent Directors asstipulated under section 149(6).
During the year under review, four meetings of independent directors were held on 30/05/2023, 14/08/2023, 14/11/2023 and14/02/2024 in compliance with the requirements of Schedule IV of the Companies Act, 2013. The Independent Directors at themeeting, inter alia, reviewed the Performance of Non- Independent Directors and Board as a whole. Performance of theChairperson of the Company, considering the views of the Chairman and Non-Executive Directors and Assessed the quality,quantity, and timeliness of flow of information between the Company Management and the Board that is necessary for the Board toeffectively and reasonably perform their duties.
Pursuant toSection-92 read with Section 134(3)(a) of the Act, the Annual Return as on March 31, 2024, is available on theCompany's website on https://www.firstfintec.com/.
The details in respect of internal financial control and their adequacy are included in the Management Discussion & Analysis, whichforms part of this report.
M/s JMT & Associates, Chartered Accountants are appointed as Statutory Auditors in the place of the casual vacancy arisen fromthe existing statutory auditors of the company for the financial years 2024-2025. The Statutory Auditors have confirmed theireligibility under Sec. 141 of the Companies Act 2013 and have also expressed their willingness to be appointed as statutoryauditors of the Company. Whereas, for the Financial Year M/s RPSP & Associates, Chartered Accountants are the outgoingauditors.
In accordance with the Companies Amendment Act, 2017, enforced on 7th May 2018 by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, theappointment of Statutory Auditors M/s JMT & Associates, Chartered Accountants is not required to be ratified at every AnnualGeneral Meeting.
M/s RPSP & Associates, Chartered Accountants with Ms.Radhika Prabhu as Partner in network with M/s JMT & Associates,Chartered Accountants with Mr. Arun Jain as Partner have provided their Audited Accounts along with the Reports, There are noqualifications, reservations or adverse remarks made by the Statutory Auditors, in their Report. The Statutory Auditors of theCompany have not reported any fraud as specified under the second proviso of Section 143(12) of the Companies Act, 2013(including any statutory modification(s) or reenactment(s) for the time being in force).
The Report given by the Auditors on the financial statement of the Company is part of this Report.
Cost Audit is not applicable to the CompanySECRETARIAL AUDIT
Pursuant to the provisions of Section 204 of the Companies Act, 2013 read with the Companies (Appointment and Remuneration ofManagerial Personnel) Rules, 2014, your Company has appointed Mr. Mohd. Akram, partner of DM & Associates CompanySecretaries LLP to conduct the Secretarial Audit of your Company.
The detailed report on the Secretarial Audit in Form MR- 3 is appended as an Annexure III to this Report. There are noqualifications, reservations or adverse remarks given by Secretarial Auditors of the Company
Material changes and commitments, if any, affecting the financial position of the company which have occurred between the end ofthe financial year of the company to which the financial statements relate and the date of the report:
No material changes and commitments affecting the financial position of the Company occurred between the end of the financialyear to which this financial statements relate on the date of this report.
There were no significant and material orders passed by the Regulators or Courts or Tribunals which would impact the goingconcern status of the Company.
The company has no Joint Ventures/Subsidiaries/Associates.
A detailed Management Discussion and Analysis forms part of this annual report, which is attached to this Report.
Pursuant to the provisions of section 124 of the companies Act, 2013, the declared dividends which remained unpaid or unclaimedfor a period of seven years, must be transferred by the company to the Investor Education and Protection Fund (IEPF) establishedby the Central Government.
There has been no transfer to reserves out of the amount available for appropriation. Details of the amount forming part of thereserve are part of the financial statements.
There are no loans, guarantees or investments as specified under Section 186 of the Companies Act, 2013.
There is no Change in the nature of the business of the Company during the year under review.
There are no Subsidiary / Joint Ventures / Associate Companies.
There are no material related party transactions during the year under review with the Promoters, Directors, or Key ManagerialPersonnel. All transactions entered with Related Parties for the year under review were on an arm's length basis and in the ordinarycourse of business and the provisions of Section 188 of the Companies Act, 2013 and the Rules made there under are notattractive. Thus, disclosure in form AOC-2 in terms of Section 134 of the Companies Act, 2013 is not required.
The provisions of section 134 of Companies Act, 2013 were amended vide Companies Amendment Act, 2017 and the saidamendment was brought in force w.e.f. 31st July 2018. Accordingly, the requirement of attaching the extract of Annual Return, informat MGT -9 with the Directors Report has been dispensed off and the same needs to be posted on the Company's website, ifany, and a link is to be given to the Directors Report. The Company will post the same on its website.
The provisions of Section 135 in respect of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) are not applicable to your Company during theyear under review.
The Board of the Company has formed a risk management committee to continuously monitoror, frame, implement and monitor therisk management plan for the Company. The committee is responsible for reviewing the risk management plan and ensuring itseffectiveness. The audit committee has additional oversight in the area of financial risks and controls. Major risks identified by thebusinesses and functions are systematically addressed through mitigating actions on a continuing basis. The development andimplementation of risk management policy has been covered in the management discussion and analysis, which forms part of thisreport.
The company has implemented an integrated risk management approach through which it reviews and assesses significant riskson a regular basis to help ensure that there is a robust system of risk controls and mitigation in place.
The Company's internal control system is designed and framed to ensure day-to-day effective and efficient operations andcompliance of laws and regulations. An alert internal audit group monitors the systems and processes. The prime objective of thisaudit is to test the adequacy and effectiveness of all internal control systems and suggest improvements. Significant issues arebrought to the attention of the audit committee for periodical review. Hence, they are considered to be adequate in commensurationwith the size of your company.
In any organization communication with employees is a key determinant factor of success. Your company believes that employeesare the most valued assets for the success and growth of the Company. Your Company has implemented internet network forcommunication between management and employees for enhanced accessibility and transparency. The company has alsoinitiated many morale building programs to strengthen their self-belief which further benefits the Company.
Your Company treats its “human resources” as one of its most important assets. Your Company continuously invests in attraction,retention, and development of talent on an ongoing basis. A number of programs that provide focused people attention are currentlyunderway. Your Company thrust is on the promotion of talent internally through job rotation and job enlargement.
The Company established the Whistle Blower Policy for directors and employees to report concerns about un-ethical behavior,actual or suspected fraud or violation of the Company's code of conduct or ethics policy. The details are reported in Report oncorporate Governance which forms part of this Report as Annexure, and the policy shall be available at https://www.firstfintec.com/
Code of conduct or ethics policy. The details are reported in report on corporate governance which forms part of this report asAnnexure, and the policy is available on https://www.firstfintec.com/
Your Company has adopted a Whistle Blower Policy and established Vigil Mechanism in line with the requirements under the Actand Listing Regulations for the employees and other stakeholders to report concerns about unethical behavior, actual or suspectedfraud or violation of the Code. The Whistle Blower Policy is available at www.firstfintec.com
Company established a vigil mechanism pursuant to the provisions of section 177(9) & (10) of the Companies Act, 2013 and as perClause 49 of the Listing Agreement for their directors and employees to report their genuine concerns or grievances., which alsoincorporates a whistle blower policy in terms of the Listing Agreement, includes an Ethics & Compliance Task Force comprisingsenior executives of the Company. Protected disclosures can be made by a whistle blower through an e-mail, or dedicatedtelephone line or a letter to the member of Audit committee or to the Chairman of the Audit Committee.
During the year, your Company has not received any complaints under the said mechanism.
Your Company has put in place the applicable provisions relating to the constitution of Internal Complaints Committee under theSexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013.
Your directors confirm that the company has adopted a policy regarding the prevention of sexual harassment of women atworkplace and has constituted Internal Complaints Committees (ICC) as per the requirement of The Sexual Harassment of Womenat Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition &Redressal) Act, 2013 ('Act') and Rules made there under, your Company.
1. number of complaints filed during the financial year; Nil
2. number of complaints disposed of during the financial year; Nil
3. number of complaints pending as at the end of the financial year: NilFIXED DEPOSITS:
During the financial year 2023-24, your Company has not accepted any deposit within the meaning of Sections 73 and 74 of theCompanies Act, 2013 read together with the Companies (Acceptance of Deposits) Rules, 2014.
In terms of the provisions of the Companies Act, 2013 read with Rules issued thereunder and as per the requirements of the ListingAgreement with the Stock Exchange, the Board of Directors on recommendation of the Nomination and Remuneration Committee,have evaluated the effectiveness of the Board/Director(s) for the financial year 2023-24.
The Nomination & Remuneration Committee has laid down the evaluation framework for assessing the performance ofDirectors comprising of the following key areas:
• Attendance in meetings of the Board and its Committees.
• Quality of contribution to Board deliberations.
• Strategic perspectives or inputs regarding future growth of Company and its performance.
• Providing perspectives and feedback going beyond information provided by the management.
• Commitment to shareholder and other stakeholder interests.
Pursuant to Section 134(3) (c) of the Companies Act, 2013, the Directors confirm that:
(a) in the preparation of the annual accounts for the financial year ended 31st March 2024, the applicable accounting standards,and Schedule III of the Companies Act, 2013, have been followed and there are no material departures from the same;
(b) the Directors have selected such accounting policies and applied them consistently and made judgments and estimates thatare reasonable and prudent so as to give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of your Company as of 31st March 2024 andof the profit and loss of the Company for the financial year ended 31st March 2024;
(c) proper and sufficient care has been taken for the maintenance of adequate accounting records in accordance with theprovisions of the Companies Act, 2013 for safeguarding the assets of the Company and for preventing and detecting fraud andother irregularities;
(d) the annual accounts have been prepared on a 'going concern' basis;
(e) proper internal financial controls laid down by the Directors were followed by the Company and that such internal financialcontrols are adequate and were operating effectively; and
(f) proper systems to ensure compliance with the provisions of all applicable laws were in place and that such systems wereadequate and operating effectively.
The details of (a) the meetings of the Board and its Committees held during the year; and (b) composition and terms of reference ofthe Committees are detailed in the Corporate Governance Report forming part of this Report.
The Board has approved a Business Code of Conduct (Code) which is applicable to the Members of the Board and insiders. TheCode has been posted on the Company's website www.firstfintec.com. The Code lays down the standard of conduct which isexpected to be followed by the insiders in their business dealings and in particular on matters relating to integrity in the workplace, inbusiness practices and in dealing with stakeholders. Your Directors and Senior Management have confirmed compliance with theCode.
Your Company's management has placed Corporate Governance as one of their topmost priorities. Your Company's philosophy onCorporate Governance envisages attainment of highest level of transparency, accountability, and fairness in respect of itsoperations and achievement of highest internal standards in Corporate Governance and believes that the initiatives on CorporateGovernance will assist the management in the efficient conduct of the business and in meeting its responsibilities to all itsstakeholders.
Your Directors are pleased to inform you that your Company has implemented all the stipulations prescribed under regulation 27 ofthe SEBI (LODR) Regulations 2015. The Statutory Auditors of the Company have examined the requirements of the CorporateGovernance with reference to SEBI (LODR) Regulations 2015 and have certified the compliance, as required under SEBI (LODR)Regulations 2015.
A separate report on Corporate Governance in Annexure V is provided together with a Certificate from the Statutory Auditors of theCompany regarding compliance of conditions of Corporate Governance as stipulated regulation 27 of the SEBI (LODR)Regulations 2015. A Certificate of the CFO of the Company in terms of regulation 17(8) of the SEBI (LODR) Regulations 2015, interalia, confirming the correctness of the financial statements and cash flow statements, adequacy of the internal control measuresand reporting of matters to the Audit Committee, is also annexed.
The Company has been making every endeavor to bring more transparency in the conduct of its business. As per the requirementsof the Listing Agreement with the Stock Exchanges, a compliance report on Corporate Governance for the year 2023-24 and aCertificate from the Practicing Company Secretaries of the Company are furnished which form part of this Annual Report.
The managerial remuneration to Directors, Key Managerial Persons and Managers did not exceed the limit as specified u/s 197.The Company does not have any employees of the category specified Section 197 of the Companies Act, 2013 read withCompanies (Appointment and Remuneration of Managerial Personnel) Rules, 2014.
There are no significant / material orders passed by the Regulators or Courts or Tribunals impacting the going concern status ofyour Company and its operations in future.
a) Your Company has not issued equity shares with differential rights as to dividend, voting or otherwise; and
b) Your Company does not have any ESOP scheme for its employees/Directors.
Your company's operations do not involve large-scale use of energy. The disclosure of particulars under this head is not applicableas your company operates in the service sector. Although your company is not a large-scale energy user, acknowledges, theconcept of conservation of energy. Your company has received foreign exchange during the year under review.
Your company continues to work on reducing carbon footprint and all type of pollutions in all its operating areas of business throughall possible initiatives like:
(a) Green infrastructure,
(b) Operational energy efficiency,
(C) Reducing Power consumption
(D) Decreasing consumption of fossil fuelsTECHNOLOGY ABSORPTION, ADAPTION, AND INNOVATION
The Company continues to use the latest technologies for improving the productivity and quality of its services in all its areaswherever is possible to the company and strive to achieve optimal utilization of resources there by increasing the productivity.
Your Directors would like to place on record their appreciation and sincere thanks to all the shareholders, customers, bankers,Central and State Government for the contribution made and support provided to the Company during the year under report. YourCompany continues to enjoy the full cooperation of all its employees. The Directors wish to place on record their appreciation for thegood p7rformance achieved by them.
Regd. Office:
302, The Bureau Chambers,
Above State Bank of India,
Chembur, Mumbai - 400071Maharashtra
Place: Mumbai.
Date: 29th August 2024