December 14, 2015
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Companies Act reform eases compliance and strengthens enforcement, simplifying procedures and clarifying related party and CSR rules.
Enhancements to the Companies Act, 2013 include forty circular clarifications, fifteen rule amendments, and seven 'remove difficulties' orders to ease implementation; CSR rules were expanded. Lok Sabha approved amendments streamline related party approvals, address minimum capital and company seal practices, set explicit penalties for deposit non compliance, retain strict bail for serious fraud, and rationalize audit fraud procedures. Administrative simplification discontinues forms, substitutes declarations for affidavits, eases foreign director procedures, integrates incorporation services with a unified portal, reduces small company fees, and enables IndAS adoption. Enforcement actions include SFIO investigations into chit fund entities, steps to merge a defaulting exchange with its parent, and completed online fraud probes.