Your Directors have immense pleasure in presenting the 43rd Annual Report on the business and operations of the Companytogether with Audited Statement of Accounts of your Company for the financial year ended onthe 31st March, 2024.
fR s. in rrnrpfii
PARTICULARS
2023-24
2022-23
Sales
0.00
Profit Before Interest, Depreciation & Tax (PBDIT)
(133.57)
(87.45)
Less : Interest & Finance Charges
24.60
21.73
Profit Before Depreciation & Tax (PBIT)
(158.17)
(109.17)
Less : Depreciation
10.54
10.98
Profit Before Tax (PBT)
(168.71)
(120.15)
Less : Provision for Current Tax /Deferred Tax
(25.11)
(37.99)
Profit After Tax (PAT)
(143.6)
(82.16)
During the Period Company has incurred a loss of Rs. 143.6 crores, your Directors do not recommend any Dividendfor the year under review.
There was no transfer to General Reserve during the year 2023-24.
The Company has a well-equipped and an integrated manufacturing facility comprising of melting & casting torolling to manufacture Copper and Cu alloys like Brass, Phosphor Bronze, Leaded Brass, Cupro Nickel in the formof strips, foils, sheets, ingots, rods, profiles, bus bars and forward integrated products such as terminals,connectors, coin blanks, key blanks etc.
Company had embarked to transform itself from a Semi's manufacturer to a Precision Component manufacturerfor supplying value added items to the Indian Industry, however, Company has faced losses due to inverted dutystructure and working capital problems and before Company can fulfill its objective its accounts became non¬operational due to continued losses. Company had tried to restructure its accounts as per RBI guidelines but thesame could not be materialized because of the inordinate delay caused by Covid.
Since the restructuring could not be finalized and now the lenders are also not very keen for the same, Companyhas given them the One Time Settlement proposal. The said proposal has been in principally accepted by the JointLenders Forum but the final sanction of same needs to be approved by their respective sanctioning authorities forCompany to move ahead with its implementation and Company is expecting to receive the same soon.
There were no operations in the Company during the year under review and the Profit after Tax of the Companyhas been (Rs. 143.59) Crores. Company had been one of the leading Non-Ferrous Engineering Company mainly inCopper/Brass Strips and Foils in the past and still has potential to regain its business and once again make a markfor itself in the industry. Company is trying its best to complete the OTS at the earliest so that it can resumeoperations and can re-embark on the path of efficiency and profitability.
In pursuance with the provisions of Companies Act, 2013, Shri Radhanath Pattanayak, Executive Director of theCompany, retires by rotation at the ensuing Annual General Meeting and being eligible offers himself for re¬appointment. In terms of Regulation 36(3) of SEBI (LODR) Regulations, 2015, the details of the Director to be re¬appointed are being provided in the notice of the ensuing Annual General Meeting.
The Board of the Company is constituted in accordance with the provisions of Companies Act, 2013 and rules madethere under and Regulation 17 of SEBI (LODR) Regulations, 2015.
Company has optimum combination of Board of Directors and no changes took place in the same during the year.
Completion of Tenure of Independent Directors: Tenure of Independent Directors Sh. Rameshwar Dayal Tayal andSh. Sham Lal Mohan is completing on 19th September, 2024 and they will cease to be Directors on Board ofCompany from that date. Board had taken the note of same in their last meeting.
Change in Key Managerial Personnel:
a) No changes took place in the KMPs during the year.
The Company believes that building a diverse and inclusive culture is integral to its success. A diverse Board,among others, will enhance the quality of decisions by utilizing different skills, qualifications, professionalexperience and knowledge of the Board members necessary for achieving sustainable and balanced development.Accordingly, the Board has adopted a policy on 'Nomination, Remuneration and Board Diversity', which sets outthe criteria for determining qualifications, positive attributes and independence of a Director. The detailed policy isavailable on the Company's website at http: / / www.arcotech.in/New14/NOMINATION.pdf and
http: / / www. arcotech. in/New14 / Policy-on-Board-Diversity.pdf is also annexed to this Report as Annexure-A.
Annual Board Evaluation and Familiarisation Programme for Independent Directors
The statement pursuant to the provisions of the Companies Act, 2013 and Regulation 17(10) of SEBI (LODR)Regulations, 2015 indicating the manner in which formal annual evaluation of the Directors, the Board and theBoard level Committees are given in the report on Corporate Governance, which forms part of this Annual Report.A note on the familiarization programme adopted by the Company is available at Company's website at the link:http://www.arcotech.in/New14/Familiarisation-programmes-for-Independent-Directors.pdf
Declaration by Independent Directors
The Company has received necessary declaration from each independent director that he/ she meets the criteria ofindependence laid down in section 149(6) of the Companies Act, 2013 and Regulation 16(1)(b) of SEBI (LODR)Regulations, 2015. The Independent Directors have also confirmed that they have complied with the Company'scode of conduct.
Registration in Independent Directors' Data Bank: Mr. R D Tayal and Mr. S L Mohan are already registered inDatabank and they are exempted from passing of the proficiency test. However, the newly appointed Directors arein the process of registration in the same and will also go through the proficiency test. In the opinion of the Boardof Directors of the Company all Independent Directors possess high integrity expertise and experience includingthe proficiency required to discharge the duties and responsibilities as Directors of the Company.
Pursuant to the provisions of Section 139 of the Act read with applicable Rules framed thereunder, M/ s. Amit Joshi& Associates (FRN: 004898N) have been appointed as Statutory Auditors for the second term of five years in theAGM held on 29th September, 2021 and they shall hold office from the conclusion of the 40th Annual GeneralMeeting till the conclusion of the 45th Annual General Meeting to be held in the year 2026.
The Notes on financial statement referred to in the Auditors' Report are self-explanatory and do not call for anyfurther comments.
Company is outside the purview of Section 148 and Cost Audit is not applicable on Company and thus noappointment of Cost Auditor has been made by Company.
The Board of your Company has appointed M/s A. Upadhyaya & Associates, Company Secretaries, Certificate ofPractice no. 4729 as Secretarial Auditor for conducting the secretarial audit of the Company for the financial year2023-24 and to provide other certificates during the year.
The Secretarial Auditor has provided Secretarial Audit Report for the financial year 2023-24 and the same isattached hereto as Annexure-B and is self-explanatory and do not call for any further comments.
During the Year under review, none of the Auditors have reported to the Audit Committee or to the Board, undersection 143(12) of the Companies Act, 2013, any instances of fraud committed against the Company by its officersor employees.
Your Board of Directors has taken note of the Auditor's Report. Auditors have given their qualified opinion on theFinancial Statements. The restructuring of the Company's business had been under consideration by the lenders.Consequent to the filing of restructuring proposal with lenders, feasible TEV (techno economic viability)study/reports of the operations of the Company was conducted by outside agency where in certain reliefs/concessions have been envisaged to make the project viable. Included in there is relief in interest rates effectivefrom 01.11.2018. The Company has provided interest at the rates mentioned in TEV. This along with otherunprovided interest amounts to Rs. 2,569.10 lakhs (net of tax) for the current financial year. The Company is in theprocess of settling the dues with the lenders towards which an amount of Rs. 705.00 lakhs has been deposited withthe bankers and financial institutions, for which final approval from some of the lenders is still awaited. In view ofthe management's expectation of successful outcome of above proposal and revival of its business, the financialstatements have been prepared on going concern basis. Further, the Directors are conscious to comply with all thestatutory requirements and also making continuous efforts to identify the areas where controls need to bestrengthened.
During the year under review, total 4 (Four) meetings of the Board were convened and held, the details of whichare given in the Report on Corporate Governance forming part of this report. The intervening gap between themeetings was within the period prescribed under the Companies Act, 2013 and Regulation 17(2) of SEBI (LODR)Regulations, 2015.
Audit Committee: The Composition and function of Audit Committee of the Board of Directors of the Company isdisclosed in the Report on Corporate Governance, which forms part of this report.
The Company has established a vigil mechanism which incorporates a whistle blower policy in terms of the listingregulations for directors and employees to report their genuine concerns. The objective of the policy is to create awindow for any person who observes an unethical behavior, actual or suspected fraud or violation of Company's codeof conduct. Protected disclosures can be made by the whistle blower through an email or phone or a letter to thechairman of the audit committee. The policy can be assessed from the Company's websitewww.arcotech.in/New14/WHISTLEBLOWERPOLICY.pdf
The Company has framed a policy for Determining material Subsidiaries. There is no subsidiary or Joint Venture of the
Company as on 31st March, 2024.
The Board of Directors hereby confirms, in terms of Section 134(5) of the Companies Act, 2013:
a) That in the preparation of the Annual Accounts, the applicable Accounting Standards have been followed alongwith proper explanation relating to material departures, if any;
b) That appropriate accounting policies have been selected and applied consistently, and made judgments andestimates that are reasonable and prudent have been made so as to give a true and fair view of the state of affairs ofthe Company at the end of the financial year and of the profit or loss of the Company for that period.
c) That the Directors 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 Company and forpreventing and detecting fraud and other irregularities.
d) That the Annual Accounts have been prepared on a going concern basis.
e) That the Directors have laid down internal financial controls to be followed by the Company and suchinternal financial controls are adequate and are operating effectively.
f) That the Directors have devised proper systems to ensure compliance with the provisions of all applicable lawsand that such systems are adequate and operating effectively.
In accordance with the provisions of section 134(3)(a) of the Companies Act, 2013, Annual Report will be placed on
Company's website at www.arcotech.in
The equity shares of your Company are listed with the BSE Ltd and National Stock Exchange of India Ltd.
During the Year under review, your Company has not accepted any deposit within the meaning of Section 73 and
74 of the Companies Act, 2013 read with Companies (Acceptance of Deposits) Rules, 2014.
During the year under review, no company have become or ceased to be its subsidiaries, joint ventures or associate
Company.
A. Conservation of energy and technology absorption
Information under section 134(3)(m) of the Companies Act, 2013 read with Rule 8(3) of the Companies(Accounts) Rules, 2014:
I. Conservation of Energy: Company had no active commercial production in the FY 2023-24 and thus therewas no energy consumption & conservation.
II. Technology Absorption, Adaptation and Innovation: Company had no active commercial production in theFY 2023-24 and thus no new R&D has been undertaken. No new technology has been absorbed or importedduring the year.
During the year under review, your Company has not dealt with foreign exchange earnings and outgo and theForeign Exchange earned in terms of actual inflows as well as outgo in terms of actual outflows is Nil.
Information in accordance with the provisions of Section 197 of the Companies Act, 2013 read with Rule 5(1) of theCompanies (Appointment and Remuneration of Managerial Personnel) Rules, 2014, as amended, regardingemployees is a part of this report.
Disclosures regarding ratio of the remuneration of each Director to the median employee's remuneration andother details in terms of Section 197(12) of the Companies Act, 2013 read with Rule 5(2) & (3) of the Companies(Appointment and Remuneration of Managerial Personnel) Rules, 2014, are as under:
Managerial Remuneration:
i) The percentage increase in remuneration of each Director, CFO and CS in the financial year:
There was no increase in the remuneration of any of the Director and CFO.
There was an increase in the remuneration of CS during the year.
ii) The percentage increase in the median remuneration of employees in the financial year: Nil
iii) The number of permanent employees on the rolls of Company: 04 employees as on 31.03.2024
iv) Average percentile increase already made in the salaries of employees other than managerial personnel inthe last financial year and its comparison with the percentile increase in the managerial remuneration andjustification thereof and point out if there are any exceptional circumstances for increase in the managerialremuneration: NIL
v) Comparison of the each remuneration of the Key Managerial personnel against the performance ofthe Company:
WTD
CFO
CS
Remuneration in FY 23-24 (Rs in Cr.)
0.06
0.0587
0.0975
Revenue (Rs in Cr.)
00.0
Remuneration as % of revenue
NA
Profit before Tax (PBT) (Rs in Cr.)
Remuneration (as % of PBT)
vi) The key parameters for any variable component of remuneration availed by the Directors: There is nosuch variable component
vii) The ratio of the remuneration of the highest paid director to that of the employees who are not Directorsbut receive remuneration in excess of the highest paid director during the year: 0.060:0.097
viii) The Remuneration is as per the remuneration policy of the Company.
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S.
No.
Name & Designation
Age
(Years)
Gross
Remuneration
(Rs.)
Net
Total Experience(Years)
Date of
Commencementof Employment
Last
Employment
1
Shri. R N Pattanayak(Wholetime Director)
64
6,00,000
38
18.12.2006
Business
D. Variations in the market capitalization of the Company, price earnings ratio as at the closing date of thecurrent financial year and previous financial year and percentage increase over decrease in the marketquotations of the shares of the Company in comparison to the rate of previous year.
Particulars
As at 31st March,2024*
As at 31st March,2023*
Variation (%)
Closing Share Price
2.34 (Face Value of Rs.2)
NIL
Market Capitalization (Rs in Crores)(Market Value per share *No. ofOutstanding Shares)
24.57
P/E ratio (Market Value per share/EPS)
(0.17)
(0.30)
43.33
Note: Shares were traded till 30th August, 2021 on Trade for Trade basis in Z group only on the first trading day ofevery week. Thereafter trading has been temporarily suspended and discontinued. Above mentioned price andvalues are taken as per last traded price of Company as on 30th August, 2021.
A separate report of Board of Directors of the Company on Corporate Governance is included in the DirectorsReport as Annexure-C and the Certificate from M/s A. Upadhyaya & Associates, Practicing Company Secretary,confirming compliance with the conditions of Corporate Governance as stipulated in Schedule V of SEBI (LODR),Regulations, 2015 is attached to the report on Corporate Governance.
Secretarial Standard 1 on Meetings of the Board of Directors and Secretarial Standard 2 on General Meetings, asapplicable, have been complied by the Company.
The Company has in place a mechanism to identify, assess, monitor and mitigate various risks to key businessobjectives. Major risks identified by the businesses and functions are systematically addressed through mitigatingactions on a continuing basis. These are discussed at the meetings of the Board of directors of the Company.
The Company's internal control systems are commensurate with the nature of its business and the size andcomplexity of its operations. These are routinely tested and certified by statutory as well as internal auditors.
The provisions of corporate social responsibility as per Section 135 of the Companies Act, 2013 are not applicable onCompany and therefore, Annual Report on CSR activities as per Rule 8 of The Companies (Corporate SocialResponsibility Policy) Rules, 2014 do not form part of this report. However, Company has a duly formulated CSRpolicy in place. Policy can be assessed from the Company Website http:// www.arcotech.in/New14/CSR.pdf.
During the year under review, Company has not given any loan, guarantee or investments under section 186 of theCompanies Act, 2013.
There have been no material changes and commitments, if any, affecting the financial position of the Company whichhave occurred between the end of the financial year of the Company to which the financial statements relate and thedate of the report.
All related party transactions entered into by the Company during the financial year, if any, were in the ordinarycourse of business and on arm's length basis. All related party transactions were entered with the prior approval ofthe Audit Committee and periodically placed before the Committee and the Board for review. The details of thetransactions with related party as provided in the Company's financial statements is in accordance with theAccounting Standard. None of the transactions with related parties fall under the scope of Section 188(1) of the Act.Accordingly, the disclosure of related party transactions as required under Section 134(3)(h) of the Act in FormAOC-2 is not applicable to the Company for FY 2023-24 and hence does not form part of this report.
The Policy on the Related Party Transactions is available on the Company's website athttp: / / www. arcotech. in/New14 / Policy-on-Materiality-of-and-dealing-with-Related-Party-Transaction. pdf
(a) Industry Scenario & Future Challenges
Copper, one of the important non-ferrous metals, has various industrial uses and demand for it is increasingin India where the inventory and production of copper, though not comparable with developed countries,shows an impressive growth rate. Company's operations are currently under One Time Settlement with thelenders. Company is looking forward to the implementation of OTS at the earliest to start its activitiesafresh.
(b) Opportunities and Threats
Government focus on Aatmnirbhar Bharat will give boost to our industry. Government will have to takeadequate steps to provide level playing field to Indian Non- ferrous Manufacturers by taking mitigant stepsto nullify the impact of inverted duty effect.
(c) Operating Performance, Future Outlook etc.
There have been no operations in the Company during the year under review. Further, Company is lookingforward to completion of its ongoing One Time Settlement in near future so that operations can restart andCompany can resume its profitability.
(d) Adequacy of Internal Controls
The Company has a proper and adequate system of internal controls to ensure that all assets aresafeguarded and protected against loss from unauthorized use or disposition and that all transactions areauthorized, recorded, and reported correctly. Independent Internal auditors conduct audit covering a widerange of operational matters and ensure compliance with specified standards.
(e) Financial performance and operational performance
The Company had not carried any commercial production in the year and this lead to nil revenue in thefinancials of Company. There are losses in the financials of Company because of the fixed basic regularexpenses and the provisions made by the Company. Company is trying its best to move ahead with the OTSat priority.
(f) Human Resources/ Industrial Relations
Your Company has always acknowledged the commitment, competence and dedication of its employees atall areas of business. The Company will continue to be committed to nurture, enhance and retain best talentthrough investment in its people to upgrade their technical, domain and leadership capability. TheCompany continuously innovates and customizes its Human Resource (HR) strategy to meet changingemployee need. The Company has always taken initiative for safety of employees and will continue toimplement regular safety audit, imparted machine safety training and deploying wearing of protectiveequipments.
(g) Significant changes in Key Financial Ratios
The significant changes in the key financial ratio of the Company, which are more than 25% as compared tothe previous year, are as given below-
SR.
No
2023¬
24
2022¬
23
Changes(in %)
Explanations
i)
Interest
Coverage Ratio
-5.86
-4.53
29%
Interest Coverage Ratio was affected due to decline inEBIT (EBIT to Sales Ratio FY 2022-23 Vs. 2023-24: "¬2734.01 Vs. -45034.34")
ii)
OperatingProfit Margin
0
-100%
Revenue from operations is NIL during the year
iii)
Net ProfitMargin
iv)
Change inReturn to Networth
0.71
1.38
-49%
Due to increase in net loss during the year which resultsin decrease in total equity.
v)
TradeReceivablesTurnover Ratio
vi)
InventoryTurnover Ratio
vii)
Current Ratio
0.17
0.41
-58%
Due to increase in current liabilities and decrease incurrent assets
viii)
Debt EquityRatio
-2.50
-8.27
-70%
No significant and material order has been passed by the regulators, courts, tribunals impacting the going concernstatus and Company's operations in future.
The Company has a policy on prohibition, prevention and redressal of Sexual Harassment of women at workplace andmatters connected therewith or incidental thereto covering all the aspects as contained under "The SexualHarassment of women at workplace (Prohibition, Prevention and Redressal) Act, 2013".
During the financial year 2023-24, no such complaint was received under the policy.
During the year under review, no proceeding in the name of the Company is admitted in NCLT under Insolvencyand Bankruptcy Code, 2016. Also no new application has been made by the Company under the said code.
During the year under review, Company has not done any OTS with any lender. However, the ongoing OTS with
The Company has adequate internal control systems and procedures designed to effectively control the operations at itscorporate office, Head office and plant. The internal control systems are designed to ensure that the financial and otherrecords are reliable for the preparation of financial statements and for maintaining assets. The Company has welldesigned Standard Operating Procedures.
Independent Internal Auditor conducts the internal audit covering a wide range of operational matters and ensurescompliance with specified standards. Planned periodic reviews are carried out by Internal Auditor. The findings ofInternal Audit are reviewed by the top management and by the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors.
Based on the deliberations with Statutory Auditors to ascertain their views on the financial statements including theFinancial Reporting System and Compliance to Accounting Policies and Procedures, the Audit Committee was satisfiedwith the adequacy and effectiveness of the Internal Controls and Systems followed by the Company.
Your Directors place on record their deep appreciation to employees at all levels for their hard work, dedication andcommitment. The enthusiasm and unstinting efforts of the employees had enabled the Company to achieve theforefront position of the Industry and Company hopes to again achieve the same in future. Your Company looksupon them as partners in its progress and has shared with them the rewards of growth. Directors also take thisopportunity to thank all Investors, Banker, Clients, Vendors, Companies, Government authorities and StockExchange(s) for their continued support.
Sd/-
Place: New Delhi Chairman
Date: 13th August, 2024 DIN: 00057323