To,
The Members,
Kody Technolab Limited
Your Directors hereby present the 7th Board's Report on the Business and Operations of the Company together with the Audited Financial Statements along with the Auditor's Report for the Financial Year ended on 31st March, 2024.
1. FINANCIAL RESULTS:
The financial performance of the Company for the Financial Year ended on
31st March, 2024 is summarized as below:
2. OPERATIONS
Total revenue from operations for Financial Year 2023-24 is Rs. 2,323.45 Lakhs compared to the total revenue from operations of Rs. 1,109.08 Lakhs of previous Financial Year. The Company has incurred Profit before tax for the Financial Year 2023-24 of Rs. 650.53 Lakhs as compared to Profit of Rs. 412.20 Lakhs of previous Financial Year. Net Profit after Tax for the Financial Year 2023-24 is Rs. 488.87 Lakhs as against Net Profit of Rs. 291.87 Lakhs of previous Financial Year.
3. CHANGE IN NATURE OF BUSINESS, IF ANY:
During the Financial Year 2023-24 there was no changes in nature of Business of the Company.
4. WEBLINK OF ANNUAL RETURN:
Pursuant to Section 92(3) read with Section134(3)(a) of the Act, the Annual Return as on March 31, 2024 is available on the Company's website at www.kodytechnolab.com.
5. SHARE CAPITAL:
A. AUTHORISED SHARE CAPITAL:
The authorised Equity share capital of the Company as on 31st March, 2024 is Rs. 6,50,00,000/- (Rupees Six Crores Fifty Lakhs Only) divided into 65,00,000 (Sixty Five Lakhs) Equity Shares of Rs. 10/- (Rupees Ten Only) each.
B. PAID-UP SHARE CAPITAL:
The paid-up Equity share capital of the Company as on 31st March, 2024 is Rs. 6,37,37,800/- (Rupees Six Crore Thirty Seven Lakhs Thirty Seven Thousand Eight Hundred Only) divided into 63,73,780 (Sixty Three Lakhs Seventy Three Thousand Seven Hundred Eighty) equity shares of Rs. 10/- (Rupees Ten Only).
6. DIVIDEND:
To conserve the resources for future prospect and growth of the Company, your directors do not recommend any dividend for the Financial Year 2023-24 (Previous Year - Nil).
7. TRANSFER OF UNCLAIMED DIVIDEND TO INVESTOR EDUCATION AND PROTECTION FUND:
Pursuant to Section 124 of the Companies Act, 2013, the amount of dividend remaining unpaid or unclaimed for a period of seven years shall be transferred to the Investor Education and Protection Fund ("IEPF").
During the year under review, there was no unpaid or unclaimed dividend in the "Unpaid Dividend Account" lying for a period of seven years from the date of transfer of such unpaid dividend to the said account. Therefore, there were no funds which were required to be transferred to Investor Education and Protection Fund.
8. TRANSFER TO RESERVES:
The profit of the Company for the Financial Year ending on 31st March, 2024 is transferred to profit and loss account of the Company under Reserves and Surplus.
9. MATERIAL CHANGES AND COMMITMENTS, IF ANY, AFFECTING THE FINANCIAL POSITION OF THE COMPANY WHICH HAVE OCCURRED BETWEEN THE END OF THE FINANCIAL YEAR TO WHICH THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS RELATES AND THE DATE OF THE REPORT:
On 23rd July, 2024 Company has incorporated a Subsidiary Company i.e. M/s. Kody Middle East Holding LLC. M/s. Kody Technolab Limited has subscribed 75% of Share Capital (AED) in M/s. Kody Middle East Holding LLC.
10. SIGNIFICANT & MATERIAL ORDERS PASSED BY THE REGULATORS OR COURTS OR TRIBUNALS:
There are no significant material orders passed by the Regulators or Courts or Tribunal, which would impact the going concern status of the Company and its future operation.
11. MEETINGS OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS:
The Directors of the Company met at regular intervals at least once in a quarter with the gap between two meetings not exceeding 120 days to take a view of the Company's policies and strategies apart from the Board Matters.
During the year under the review, the Board of Directors met 8 (Eight) times viz 15th May, 2023, 7th June, 2023, 27th June, 2023, 28th June, 2023, 8th August, 2023, 22nd September, 2023, 9th November, 2023 and 7th March, 2024.
12. DIRECTORS RESPONSIBILITYSTATEMENT:
In accordance with the provisions of Section 134 (3)(c) and Section 134(5) of the Companies Act, 2013, to the best of their knowledge and belief the Board of Directors hereby submit that:
a In the preparation of the Annual Accounts, for the year ended on 31st March, 2024 the applicable
accounting standards read with requirements set out under Schedule III to the Act, have been followed and there are no material departure from the same;
b The Directors had selected such accounting policies and applied them consistently and made judgments and estimates that are reasonable and prudent so as to give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the Company at the end of financial year and of the profit of the Company for the financial year ended on 31st March, 2024.
c* The Directors had taken proper and sufficient care for the maintenance of adequate accounting records in accordance with the provisions of Companies Act, 2013 for safeguarding the assets of the Company and for preventing and detecting fraud and other irregularities;
d The Directors had prepared the Annual Accounts on a going concern basis;
e* The Directors had laid down internal financial controls to be followed by the Company and that such internal financial controls are adequate and are operating effectively and
f* The Directors had devised proper systems to ensure compliance with the provisions of all applicable laws and that such systems were adequate and operating effectively.
13. CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY (CSR):
The provisions of section 135 of the Companies Act, 2013 is not applicable to your Company as the Company does not fall under the criteria limits mentioned in the said section of the Act.
Hence, the Company has not taken voluntary initiative towards any activity mentioned for Corporate Social Responsibility.
14. EXPLANATIONS / COMMENTS BY THE BOARD ON EVERY QUALIFICATION, RESERVATION OR ADVERSE REMARK OR DISCLAIMER MADE:
Auditors' Report:
The observations of the Statutory Auditor, when read together with the relevant notes to the accounts and accounting policies are self-explanatory and do not calls for any further comment.
Secretarial Auditor's Report:
The Secretarial Auditor has provided observations in their Secretarial Audit Report i.e. MR-3 and Board has provided their reply to the observations of the Secretarial Auditor
15. PARTICULARS OF LOANS, GUARANTEES, SECURITIES COVERED OR INVESTMENTS MADE UNDER SECTION 186 OF THE COMPANIES ACT, 2013:
The details of loans, investment, guarantees and securities covered under the provisions of section 186 of the Companies Act, 2013 are provided in the financial statement.
16. PARTICULARS OF CONTRACTS OR ARRANGEMENTS MADE WITH RELATED PARTIES:
All transactions to be entered by the Company with related parties will be in the ordinary course of business and on an arm's length basis. However, the Company has not entered into any related party transaction, as provided in Section 188 of the Companies Act, 2013, with the related party. Hence, Disclosure as required under Section 188 of the Companies Act, 2013 is not applicable to the Company.
17. MANAGEMENT DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS REPORT:
The Management Discussion and Analysis Report as required under Regulation 34 and Schedule V of the SEBI (Listing Obligation and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015 forms an integral part of this Report, and provides the Company's current working and future outlook as per Annexure - 1.
18. INTERNAL FINANCIAL CONTROL SYSTEMS AND THEIR ADEQUACY:
The Company has in place adequate internal financial controls with reference to financial statement across the organization. The same is subject to review periodically by the internal audit cell for its effectiveness. During the financial year, such controls were tested and no reportable material weaknesses in the design or operations were observed. The Statutory Auditors of the Company also test the effectiveness of Internal Financial Controls in accordance with the requisite standards prescribed by ICAI. Their expressed opinion forms part of the Independent Auditor's report.
Internal Financial Controls are an integrated part of the risk management process, addressing financial and financial reporting risks. The internal financial controls have been documented, digitized and embedded in the business processes.
Assurance on the effectiveness of internal financial controls is obtained through management reviews, control self-assessment, continuous monitoring by functional experts. We believe that these systems provide reasonable assurance that our internal financial controls are designed effectively and are operating as intended.
During the year, no reportable material weakness was observed.
19. RESERVES & SURPLUS:
20. STATEMENT CONCERNING DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE RISK MANAGEMENT POLICY OF THE COMPANY:
The Company has framed formal Risk Management framework for risk assessment and risk minimization for Indian operation which is periodically reviewed by the Board of Directors to ensure smooth operations and effective management control. The Audit Committee also reviews the adequacy of the risk management frame work of the Company, the key risks associated with the business and measures and steps in place to minimize the same.
21. CONSERVATION OF ENERGY, TECHNOLOGY ABSORPTION, FOREIGN EXCHANGE EARNINGS AND OUTGO:
The details of conservation of energy, technology absorption, Foreign Exchange Earnings and Outgo etc. as required to be given under section 134(3)(m) of the Companies Act 2013 read with the Companies (Accounts) Rules, 2014, is as below.
22. POLICY ON DIRECTOR'S APPOINTMENT AND REMUNERATION:
The Remuneration policy is directed towards rewarding performance based on review of achievements on a periodical basis. The remuneration policy is in consonance with the existing industry practice and is designed to create a high-performance culture. It enables the Company to attract, retain and motivate employees to achieve results. The Company has made adequate disclosures to the members on the remuneration paid to Directors from time to time. The Company's Policy on director's appointment and remuneration including criteria for determining qualifications, positive attributes, independence of a director and other matters provided under Section 178 (3) of the Act is available on the website of the Company at www.kodytechnolab.com.
23. DISCLOSURES RELATING TO HOLDING, SUBSIDIARY, ASSOCIATE COMPANY AND JOINT VENTURES:
The Company does not have any Holding / Subsidiary/Associate Company and Joint Venture during the period under review. However on 23rd July, 2024 Company has incorporated a Subsidiary Company i.e. M/s. Kody Middle East Holding LLC. M/s. Kody Technolab Limited has subscribed 75% of Share Capital (AED) in M/s. Kody Middle East Holding LLC.
24. SECRETARIAL STANDARDS:
During the year under review, the Company has complied with the applicable Secretarial Standards issued by the Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI). The Company has devised proper systems to ensure compliance with its provisions and is in compliance with the same.
25. REPORTING OF FRAUDS BY THE AUDITORS:
During the year under review, neither the Statutory nor the Secretarial Auditors has reported to the Audit Committee under Section 143(12) of the Companies Act, 2013 any instances of fraud committed against the Company by its officers or employees, the details of which would need to be mentioned in the Board's Report.
26. STATE OF OMPANY'S AFFAIRS:
Management Discussion and Analysis Report for the year under review, as stipulated in Regulation 34(2)(e) of SEBI Listing Regulations is given as a separate part of the Annual Report. It contains a detailed write up and explanation about the performance of the Company.
27. STATEMENT ON ANNUAL EVALUATION OF BOARD'S PERFORMANCE:
The Board evaluated the effectiveness of its functioning, that of the Committees and of individual Directors, pursuant to the provisions of the Act and SEBI Listing Regulations. The Board sought the feedback of Directors on various parameters including:
• Degree of fulfillment of key responsibilities towards stakeholders (by way of monitoring corporate governance practices, participation in the long-term strategic planning, etc.);
• Structure, composition, and role clarity of the Board and Committees;
• Extent of co-ordination and cohesiveness between the Board and its Committees;
• Effectiveness of the deliberations and process management;
• Board / Committee culture and dynamics; and
• Quality of relationship between Board Members and the Management.
The above criteria are broadly based on the Guidance Note on Board Evaluation issued by the Securities and Exchange Board of India on January 5, 2017.
The Chairman of the Board had one-on-one meetings with each Independent Director and the Chairman of the Nomination and Remuneration Committee had one-on-one meetings with each Executive and NonExecutive, Non-Independent Directors. These meetings were intended to obtain Directors' inputs on effectiveness of the Board/ Committee processes.
In a separate meeting of Independent Directors, performance of Non-Independent Directors, the Board as a whole, and the Chairman of the Company was evaluated, taking into account the views of Executive Directors and Non-Executive Directors.
The Nomination and Remuneration Committee reviewed the performance of the individual directors and the Board as a whole.
In the Board meeting that followed the meeting of the independent directors and the meeting of Nomination and Remuneration Committee, the performance of the Board, its committees, and individual directors was discussed.
The evaluation process endorsed the Board Members' confidence in the ethical standards of the Company, the resilience of the Board and the Management in navigating the Company during challenging times, cohesiveness amongst the Board Members, constructive relationship between the Board and the Management, and the openness of the Management in sharing strategic information to enable Board Members to discharge their responsibilities and fiduciary duties.
The Board carried out an annual performance evaluation of its own performance and that of its committees and individual directors as per the formal mechanism for such evaluation adopted by the Board. The performance evaluation of all the Directors was carried out by the Nomination and Remuneration Committee.
The performance evaluation of the Chairman, the Non-Independent Directors and the Board as a whole was
Pursuant to the provisions of the Companies Act, 2013 and SEBI (Listing Obligation and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015, the Board has carried out the annual performance evaluation of the Directors individually as well as evaluation of the working of the Board by way of individual feedback from directors.
The evaluation frameworks were the following key areas:
a) For Non-Executive & Independent Directors:
• Knowledge
• Professional Conduct
• Comply Secretarial Standard issued by ICSI Duties
• Role and functions
b) For Executive Directors:
• Performance as leader
• Evaluating Business Opportunity and analysis of Risk Reward Scenarios
• Key set investment goal
• Professional conduct and integrity
• Sharing of information with Board.
• Adherence applicable government law
The Directors expressed their satisfaction with the evaluation process.
28. MANAGING THE RISKS OF FRAUD, CORRUPTION AND UNETHICAL BUSINESS PRACTICES:
A. VIGIL MECHANISM / WHISTLE BLOWER POLICY:
The Company has established vigil mechanism and framed whistle blower policy for Directors and employees to report concerns about unethical behavior, actual or suspected fraud or violation of Company's Code of Conduct or Ethics Policy.
B. BUSINESS CONDUCT POLICY:
The Company has framed "Business Conduct Policy". Every employee is required to review and sign the policy at the time of joining and an undertaking shall be given for adherence to the policy. The objective of the policy is to conduct the business in an honest, transparent and in an ethical manner. The policy provides for anti-bribery and avoidance of other corruption practices by the employees of the Company.
29. PARTICULARS OF EMPLOYEES:
The provisions of Rule 5(2) & (3) of the Companies (Appointment & Remuneration of Managerial Personnel) Rules, 2014 are not applicable to the Company as none of the Employees of the Company has received remuneration above the limits specified in the Rule 5(2) & (3) of the Companies (Appointment & Remuneration of Managerial Personnel) Rules, 2014 during the financial year 2023-24.
30. LOAN FROM DIRECTOR / RELATIVE OF DIRECTOR:
During the year under review, the Company has not entered into any materially significant related party transactions which may have potential conflict with the interest of the Company at large. Suitable disclosures as required are provided in AS-18 which is forming the part of the notes to financial statement.
31. DIRECTORS AND KEY MANAGERIAL PERSONNEL
The Directors and Key Managerial Personnel of the Company are summarized below:
01. Mr. Sanjaykumar Kidecha has resigned from the post of Chief Financial Officer of the Company w.e.f. 8th June, 2024 and has been appointed as Chief Operating Officer of the Company w.e.f. 8th June, 2024
02. Mr. Niraj Sanghvi has been appointed as Chief Financial Officer of the Company w.e.f. 8th June, 2024
03. Mr. Pramod Vasave has been appointed as Independent Director of the Company w.e.f. 23rd July, 2024
04. Mr. Neeraj Kumar Srivastava has been appointed as Non-Executive Director of the Company w.e.f. 23rd July, 2024
Apart from the above changes, there were no other changes in the composition of the Board of Directors of the Company during the Financial Year 2023-24 and till the date of Board's Report.
As per Companies Act, 2013, the Independent Directors are not liable to retire by rotation.
32. DECLARATION BY INDEPENDENT DIRECTORS:
Mr. Harshil Gajjar and Mr. Bhoomik Patel, Independent Directors of the Company have confirmed to the Board that they meet the criteria of Independence as specified under Section 149 (6) of the Companies Act, 2013 and they qualify to be Independent Director. They have also confirmed that they meet the requirements of Independent Director as mentioned under Regulation 16 (1) (b) of SEBI (Listing Obligation and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015. The confirmations were noted by the Board.
33. CORPORATE GOVERNANCE:
Since the Company has listed its specified securities on the SME Exchange therefore by virtue of Regulation 15 of SEBI (Listing Obligations & Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015 the compliance with the corporate governance provisions as specified in regulations 17 to 27 and clauses (b) to (i) of subregulation (2) of regulation 46 and Para C, D and E of Schedule V are not applicable to the Company.
Hence, Corporate Governance does not form part of this Board's Report.
34. DEPOSITS:
As per Section 73 of the Companies Act, 2013, the Company has neither accepted nor renewed any deposits during the financial year. Hence, the Company has not defaulted in repayment of deposits or payment of interest during the financial year.
35. FORMAL ANNUAL EVALUATION PROCESS BY BOARD:
Pursuant to the provisions of the Companies Act, 2013 and Rules made thereunder, the Board has carried the evaluation of its own performance, performance of Individual Directors, Board Committees, including the Chairman of the Board on the basis of attendance, contribution towards development of the Business and various other criteria as recommended by the Nomination and Remuneration Committee of the Company. The evaluation of the working of the Board, its committees, experience and expertise, performance of specific duties and obligations etc. were carried out. The Directors expressed their satisfaction with the evaluation process and outcome.
In a separate meeting of Independent Directors, the performances of Executive and Non - Executive Directors were evaluated in terms of their contribution towards the growth and development of the Company. The achievements of the targeted goals and the achievements of the expansion plans were too observed and evaluated, the outcome of which was satisfactory for all the Directors of the Company.
36. AUDITORS:
A. Statutory Auditor:
M/s. Khandhar & Associates, Chartered Accountants, (Firm Registration No. 118940W), Ahmedabad, were appointed as the Statutory Auditors of the Company for the period of 4 (Four) consecutive years from the conclusion of 6th Annual General Meeting held in the year 2023 till the conclusion of 10th Annual General Meeting of the Company to be held in the year 2027.
The Auditor's report for the Financial Year ended 31st March, 2024 has been issued with an unmodified opinion, by the Statutory Auditor.
B. Secretarial Auditor:
The Board of Directors pursuant to Section 204 of the Companies Act, 2013 read with Rule 9 of the Companies (Appointment and Remuneration of Managerial Personnel) Rules, 2014, has appointed Mr. Darshan Kinkhabwala, Proprietor of M/s. Kinkhabwala & Associates, Company Secretaries, as a Secretarial Auditor of the Company to conduct Secretarial Audit for the Financial Year 2023-24.
The Secretarial Audit Report for the Financial Year 2023-24 is annexed herewith as Annexure - 2 in Form MR-3. There are no adverse observations in the Secretarial Audit Report which call for explanation.
Query 1:
Company has paid Remuneration to Pooja Patel a Non-executive Director not accordance with the Provision of Section 197 of the Companies Act 2013.
Reply 1:
Company has paid remuneration to Ms. Pooja Patel for her rich experience and expertise in Market research, Strategic Planning and Marketing strategies of the Company. Further Company has also proposed to revise the remuneration payable to Ms. Pooja Patel in the 7th Annual General Meeting to be held on 5th September, 2024.
Query 2:
Statutory auditor Peer Review Certificate has been expire on November 2023 however statutory auditor is in process the renew the Peer renew certificate.
Reply 2:
Company has received confirmation from Statutory Auditor of the Company regarding renewal of their Peer Review Certificate. They have confirmed that they made the application of renewal and will inform the Company once the application is approved and certificate is received.
Query 3:
Company has filed PAS- 3 form after due date also Company has utilised some portion of the money before filing of the form.
Reply 3:
We take this non-compliance into consideration and ensure that in future such non-compliance will not be repeated. Further we would like to inform stakeholders that Company has utilised the funds as per the objects of the issue mentioned in the Prospectus of the Company.
37. DISCLOSURES:
A. Composition of Audit Committee:
During the year under review, meetings of members of the Audit committee as tabulated below, was held on 28th June, 2023, 8th August, 2023, 9th November, 2023 and 7th March, 2024 the attendance records of the members of the Committee are as follows:
B. Composition of Nomination and Remuneration Committee:
During the year under review, meetings of the members of the Nomination and Remuneration committee, as tabulated below, was held on 22nd September, 2023 and 9th November, 2023 and the attendance records of the members of the Committee are as follows:
C. Composition of Stakeholders' Relationship Committee:
During the year under review, meetings of the members of the Nomination and Remuneration committee, as tabulated below, was held on 22nd September, 2023 and 7th March, 2024 and the attendance records of the members of the Committee are as follows:
38. DISCLOSURES UNDER SEXUAL HARASSMENT OF WOMEN AT WORKPLACE (PREVENTION, PROHIBITION & REDRESSAL) ACT, 2013:
The Company has always been committed to provide a safe and conducive work environment to its employees. Your Directors further state that during the year under review there were no cases filed pursuant to the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 as confirmed by the Internal Complaints Committee as constituted by the Company.
39. INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS:
The Directors are pleased to report that the relations between the employees and the management continued to remain cordial during the year under review.
40. VARIATION IN UTILIZATION OF PROCEEDS OF INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERING:
Details of amount utilized from Initial Public Offer till March 31, 2024 is as follows:
41. MAINTENANCE OF COST RECORDS:
According to information and explanation given to us, the Central Government has not prescribed maintenance of cost records under section 148(1) of the Act in respect of activities carried out by the Company.
42. THE DETAILS OF APPLICATION MADE OR ANY PROCEEDING PENDING UNDER THE INSOLVENCY AND BANKRUPTCY CODE, 2016:
During the year under review, there were no applications made or proceedings pending in the name of the Company under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code 2016.
43. THE DETAILS OF DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AMOUNT OF THE VALUATION DONE AT THE TIME OF ONE TIME SETTLEMENT AND THE VALUATION DONE WHILE AVAILING LOAN FROM THE BANKS AND FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS:
During the year under review, there has been no one time settlement of Loans taken from Banks and Financial Institutions.
44. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
Your Directors would like to express their sincere appreciation for the co-operation and assistance received from the Bankers, Regulatory Bodies, Stakeholders including Financial Institutions, Suppliers, Customers and other business associates who have extended their valuable sustained support and encouragement during the year under review.
Your Directors take this opportunity to recognize and place on record their gratitude and appreciation for the commitment displayed by all executives, officers and staff at all levels of the Company. We look forward for the continued support of every stakeholder in the future.