Nidhi companies must meet membership, capital and deposit limits, follow loan and prudential norms, and file prescribed NDH returns.
These rules govern companies classified or functioning as Nidhis, requiring public company status with the suffix "Nidhi Limited", minimum paid-up equity and Net Owned Funds, restrictive objects confined to mutual thrift and savings, and prohibitions on preference shares post-commencement. They set membership and financial thresholds (minimum members, NOF, unencumbered term deposits, NOF-to-deposits ratio), limit deposit acceptance and loan exposure, prescribe deposit application disclosures, require specified prudential norms for asset classification and provisioning, mandate periodic statutory filings (Forms NDH-1/2/3) and auditor certificates, and empower the Registrar and Regional Director to enforce compliance with penalties for defaults.

Global depository receipts issuance requires board and shareholder approval, custodian arrangements, and compliance oversight abroad.
Issuance of depository receipts abroad is permitted where companies meet eligibility under the foreign currency convertible scheme and foreign exchange rules, obtain board and shareholder approval by special resolution, appoint an overseas depository and a domestic custodian for underlying shares, and engage a specified professional to oversee compliance with Reserve Bank guidelines; holders vote only upon conversion while the overseas depository votes pre-conversion under the governing agreement, proceeds must be deposited with qualifying banks and certain domestic public issue and prospectus requirements do not apply to such overseas issues.

Corporate social responsibility scope expanded to include promoting health care including preventive health care as CSR activity.
The corrigendum amends the Schedule VII CSR activity wording so that promoting health care expressly includes preventive health care, replacing the earlier narrower phrase and clarifying that health-care promotion, inclusive of preventive measures, constitutes an eligible CSR activity under the Schedule VII description.

Foreign company registration and IDR issuance rules impose registration, disclosure, audit, and RBI/SEBI approval requirements.
Foreign companies establishing a place of business in India must register with the Registrar within thirty days using Form FC 1, supply a list of directors and secretary, file alterations in Form FC 2, prepare Indian financial statements in conformity with Schedule III with annexed statements on related party transactions, repatriation and fund transfers, obtain an audit by a practicing Indian Chartered Accountant, file annual accounts and returns (Forms FC 3 and FC 4) within prescribed timelines, and comply with prescribed document certification, translation and authentication procedures.

Company filings: mandatory electronic submission with Digital Signature, prescribed fee schedules, and specified additional fees for late filings.
The Rules require filing of all documents under the Companies Act in computer readable electronic form via the Central Government portal, authenticated by authorised signatories using valid class II or III digital signature certificates; the Central Government will maintain a secure electronic registry and Registrar's Facilitation Offices. Registrars must examine filings and decide within thirty days (subject to required higher approvals), call for rectification (typically 15 days), and may record or reject defective filings; specified fee schedules and additional fees for delayed filings apply, with prescribed payment modes and obligations to retain original stamped documents.

Company incorporation rules: OPC eligibility, name reservation limits, prescribed forms, and section 8 licensing and conversion procedures.
The Rules set procedures and documentary requirements for incorporation under the Companies Act, 2013, including OPC eligibility and nomination rules, prohibitions and mandatory conversion thresholds for OPCs, a detailed name reservation and undesirability regime, prescribed e Forms and authentication requirements for subscribers and directors, verification and publication obligations, and specific licensing, application and conversion processes for companies under section 8 with associated conditions, notices and professional certifications.

Adjudication of penalties: officers may impose penalties after notice and hearing, with appeals to Regional Director and prescribed procedures.
These Rules provide the statutory procedure for adjudicating penalties under the Companies Act by appointed adjudicating officers: issuance of a written show-cause notice specifying alleged non-compliance, minimum response periods with limited extension, opportunity of hearing, powers to summon persons and documents, and authority to proceed in absence after recording reasons. They require dated signed orders communicated to parties and the Central Government, prescribe factors for fixing penalty quantum (disproportionate gain, loss to investors/creditors, repetitiveness), direct penalty receipts to the Consolidated Fund, and establish an appeal regime to the Regional Director in Form ADJ with prescribed filing, scrutiny and disposal procedures.

Form nomenclature clarified: alphanumeric, chapter-based prefixes for company e-forms and an online roll-out announced for stakeholders.
The notification mandates alphanumeric form identifiers for Companies Act, 2013 e-forms, using two- or three-letter prefixes based on Chapter subject followed by a serial number. It provides a chapter-wise mapping of prefixes (e.g., INC, PAS, SH, MGT, AOC, ADT, DIR, DPT, CHG, DIV, MBP, MR, URC, FC, GNL, NDH, MAC, ADJ, MSC), notes twenty-nine Chapters exist with Chapters I and XXIII having no prescribed forms, and directs stakeholders to the Ministry website for the separate chapter-wise e-forms roll-out plan.

Unclaimed bank dividends of corresponding new banks to be transferred to Investor Education and Protection Fund after seven years.
The rules define "corresponding new bank" and require amounts transferred to a corresponding new bank's Unpaid Dividend Account that remain unpaid or unclaimed for seven years to be credited to the Investor Education and Protection Fund; Form I is amended to substitute "company" with "company and corresponding new bank."

Unpaid and unclaimed amounts: companies and successor banks must identify and report dormant dividend funds annually for Fund uploading.
A new definition of corresponding new bank is added and the rules require companies and corresponding new banks to identify funds transferred to the Unpaid Dividend Account under the Banking Companies transfer provisions which remain unpaid or unclaimed for the dormant period, to be done annually within the prescribed post-AGM timeframe. Form 5INV is amended to substitute "company" with "company and corresponding new bank."

Commencement of Companies Act provisions set to come into force, bringing extensive corporate law provisions into effect.
The Central Government appoints 1 April 2014 as the date on which the listed provisions, clauses, sub sections and Schedules of the Companies Act, 2013 shall come into force, specifying numerous sections across governance, incorporation, meetings, accounts, audits, compliance and enforcement, and identifying particular exceptions and provisos to certain sections that do not commence on that date.

Extension of service for Company Law Board members allowed in public interest until successor body is constituted.
The amendment to Rule 8 authorises the Central Government to grant an extension in service to the Chairman, Vice Chairman and Members of the Company Law Board when considered necessary in the public interest, limited to a maximum of one year or until constitution of the National Company Law Tribunal, whichever is earlier, under the powers conferred by sub-section (2A) of Section 10E read with clause (a) of sub-section (1) of Section 642 of the Companies Act, 1956; the rules commence on publication in the Official Gazette.

Corporate social responsibility activities now enumerate social, environmental and development projects specified by recent amendment to the Act.
The amendment to Schedule VII of the Companies Act, 2013 substitutes items (i)-(x) to set out categories of qualifying corporate social responsibility activities, including poverty and malnutrition eradication, health and sanitation, safe drinking water, education and vocational training, gender equality and care for vulnerable groups, environmental sustainability, cultural preservation, veterans' welfare, sports promotion, specified government relief funds, approved technology incubators and rural development projects; the amendment takes effect from 1 April 2014.

Corporate Social Responsibility rules require eligible companies to adopt policies, committees, compliant projects, and annual reporting.
Companies meeting the Act's eligibility must adopt a CSR Policy and constitute a CSR Committee to oversee projects and programs aligned with Schedule VII; net profit for CSR excludes overseas branch profits and specified dividends. CSR may be executed directly, through qualifying trusts/societies/section 8 companies or in collaboration, subject to track record and monitoring requirements. CSR expenditure must conform to Schedule VII, exclude political contributions and employee-only benefits, and be reported annually in the Board's Report with project-level details and a responsibility statement.

Corporate social responsibility commencement set to take effect on appointed date under section 135 and Schedule VII.
The Central Government, under sub-section (3) of section 1 of the Companies Act, 2013, appoints the 1st day of April, 2014 as the date on which the provisions of section 135 and Schedule VII of the Act shall come into force, by Gazette notification issued by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs.

Reimbursement of allowances for board members on foreign tour aligned with Joint Secretary entitlement rates.
The rules are amended to entitle the Chairperson and other non-government servant members of the Quality Review Board to reimbursement of lodging, travelling allowance, daily allowance and other allowances while on foreign tour at the same rates as are admissible to a Joint Secretary to the Government of India, effective on publication in the Official Gazette.