Compliance requirement for employee benefit schemes: align with SEBI guidelines and restrict secondary market acquisitions, with disclosure duties. All employee benefit schemes involving a company's securities must comply with SEBI (ESOS and ESPS) Guidelines, 1999 and the Equity Listing Agreement; schemes set up, managed, controlled or financed by the company fall within scope. Acquisition of company securities from the secondary market for ESOS/ESPS is prohibited. The compliance deadline for aligning existing schemes has been extended; trusts that acquired securities from the secondary market before the amendment may continue to hold them only if schemes are aligned and securities are used in accordance with those aligned schemes. Listed companies must make specified disclosures to stock exchanges in prescribed formats.