We have audited the accompanying standalone financial statements of Shree Cement Limited (“the Company”], which comprise the Balance Sheet as at 31st March, 2024, the Statement of Profit and Loss, the Statement of Changes in Equity and Statement of Cash Flows for the year then ended, and notes to the financial statements, including a summary of material accounting policies and other explanatory information.
In our opinion and to the best of our information and according to the explanations given to us, the aforesaid standalone financial statements give the information required by the Act in the manner so required and give a true and fair view in conformity with the accounting principles generally accepted in India, of the state of affairs of the Company as at 31st March, 2024 and its profit, its cash flows and the changes in equity for the year ended on that date.
BASIS FOR OPINION
We conducted our audit in accordance with the Standards on Auditing (SAs) specified under section 143(10) of the Companies Act, 2013. Our responsibilities under those Standards are further described in the Auditor’s Responsibilities for the Audit of the Financial Statements section of our report. We are independent of the Company in accordance with the Code of Ethics issued by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India together with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements under the provisions of the Companies Act, 2013 and the rules thereunder, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements and the Code of Ethics. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.
KEY AUDIT MATTERS
Key audit matters are those matters that, in our professional Judgment, were of most significance in our audit of the financial statements of the current period. These matters were addressed in the context of our audit of the financial statements as a whole, and in forming our opinion thereon, and we do not provide a separate opinion on these matters.
DESCRIPTION OF KEY AUDIT MATTERS:
Key audit matters
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How our audit addressed the key audit matter
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Revenue from sale of goods:
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The Company recognizes revenues when control of the goods is transferred to the customer at an amount that reflects the consideration to which the Company expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods. In determining the sales price, the Company considers the effects of rebates and discounts.
The terms of sales arrangements, including the timing of transfer of control, the nature of discount and rebates arrangements and delivery specifications, create complexity and Judgment in determining sales revenues and accordingly, it was determined to be a key audit matter in our audit of the standalone financial statements.
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Our audit procedures included the following:
• Considered the appropriateness of Company’s revenue recognition policy and its compliance in terms of Ind AS 115 ‘Revenue from contracts with customers’;
• Assessed the design and tested the operating effectiveness of internal controls related to sales and related rebates and discounts;
• Performed sample tests of individual sales transactions and traced to sales invoices, sales orders and other related documents. In respect of the samples selected, tested that the revenue has been recognized as per the sales agreements;
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• Assessed the relevant disclosures made in the Standalone financial statements
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Key audit matters
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How our audit addressed the key audit matter
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Litigation, Claims and Contingent Liabilities:
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The Company is exposed to a variety of different laws, regulations and interpretations thereof which encompasses taxation and legal matters. In the normal course of business, provisions and contingent liabilities may arise from legal proceedings, including regulatory and other Governmental proceedings, constructive obligations as well as investigations by authorities and commercial claims.
Based on the nature of regulatory and legal cases management applies significant Judgment when considering whether, and how much, to provide for the potential exposure of each matter. These estimates could change substantially over time as new facts emerge as each legal case or matters progresses.
Given the different views possible, basis the interpretations, complexity and the magnitude of the potential exposures, and the judgment necessary to determine required disclosures, this is a key audit matter.
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Our audit procedures included the following:
• We understood the processes, evaluated the design and implementation of controls and tested the operating effectiveness of the Company’s controls over the recording and re-assessment of uncertain legal positions, claims and contingent liabilities.
• We held discussions with the person responsible for legal and compliance to obtain an understanding of the factors considered in classification of the matter as ‘probable,’ ‘possible’ and remote;’
• We read the correspondence from Court authorities and considered legal opinion obtained by the Company from external law firms to challenge the basis used for provisions recognised or the disclosures made in the standalone financial statements.
• For those matters where Company concluded that no provision should be recorded, we also considered the adequacy and completeness of the Company’s disclosures made in relation to contingent liabilities.
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INFORMATION OTHER THAN THE STANDALONE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND AUDITORS’ REPORT THEREON
The Company’s Board of Directors is responsible for the preparation of the other information. The other information comprises the information included in the Management Discussion and Analysis, Board’s Report including Annexures to Board’s Report, Business Responsibility and Sustainability Report, Corporate Governance and Shareholder’s Information, but does not include the standalone financial statements and our auditors’ report thereon. Our opinion on the standalone financial statements does not cover the other information and we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon. In connection with our audit of the standalone financial statements, our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the standalone financial statements, or our knowledge obtained during the course of our audit or otherwise appears to be materially misstated.
If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact. We have nothing to report in this regard.
MANAGEMENT’S RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE STANDALONE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The Company’s Board of Directors is responsible for the matters stated in section 134(5) of the Companies Act, 2013 ("the Act”) with respect to
the preparation of these standalone financial statements that give a true and fair view of the financial position, financial performance, cash flows and changes in equity of the Company in accordance with the accounting principles generally accepted in India, including the Indian Accounting Standards (Ind AS) prescribed under section 133 of the Act. This responsibility also includes maintenance of adequate accounting records in accordance with the provisions of the Act for safeguarding the assets of the Company and for preventing and detecting frauds and other irregularities; selection and application of appropriate accounting policies; making Judgments and estimates that are reasonable and prudent; and design, implementation and maintenance of adequate internal financial controls, that were operating effectively for ensuring the accuracy and completeness of the accounting records, relevant to the preparation and presentation of the standalone financial statements that give a true and fair view and are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.
In preparing the financial statements, management is responsible for assessing the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless management either intends to liquidate the Company or to cease operations, or has no realistic alternative but to do so.
Those Board of Directors are also responsible for overseeing the Company’s financial reporting process.
AUDITORS’ RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE AUDIT OF THE STANDALONE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with SAs will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these standalone financial statements.
As part of an audit in accordance with SAs, we exercise professional Judgment and maintain professional scepticism throughout the audit. We also:
• Identify and assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to fraud or error, design and perform audit procedures responsive to those risks, and obtain audit evidence that is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion. The risk of not detecting a material misstatement resulting from fraud is higher than for one resulting from error, as fraud may involve collusion, forgery, intentional omissions, misrepresentations, or the override of internal control.
• Obtain an understanding of internal control relevant to the audit in order to design audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances. Under section 143(3)(i) of the Companies Act, 2013, we are also responsible for expressing our opinion on whether the company has adequate internal financial controls system in place and the operating effectiveness of such controls.
• Ovaluate the appropriateness of accounting policies used and the reasonableness of accounting estimates and related disclosures made by management.
• Oonclude on the appropriateness of management’s use of the going concern basis of accounting and, based on the audit evidence obtained, whether a material uncertainty exists related to events or conditions that
may cast significant doubt on the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. If we conclude that a material uncertainty exists, we are required to draw attention in our auditor’s report to the related disclosures in the financial statements or, if such disclosures are inadequate, to modify our opinion. Our conclusions are based on the audit evidence obtained up to the date of our auditors’ report.
However, future events or conditions may cause the Company to cease to continue as a going concern.
• Ovaluate the overall presentation, structure and content of the financial statements, including the disclosures, and whether the financial statements represent the underlying transactions and events in a manner that achieves fair presentation.
• Oateriality is the magnitude of misstatements in the Standalone financial statements
that, individually or in aggregate, makes it probable that the economic decisions of a knowledgeable user of the financial statements may be influenced. We consider quantitative materiality and qualitative factors in (i) planning the scope of our audit work and in evaluating the results of our work; and (ii) to evaluate the effect of any identified misstatements in the financial statements.
• We communicate with those charged with governance regarding, among other matters, the planned scope and timing of the audit and significant audit findings, including any significant deficiencies in internal control that we identify during our audit.
• We also provide those charged with governance with a statement that we have complied with relevant ethical requirements regarding independence, and to communicate with them all relationships and other matters that may be thought to bear on our independence, and where applicable, related safeguards.
• From the matters communicated with those charged with governance, we determine those matters that were of most significance in the audit of the financial statements of the current period and are therefore the key audit matters. We describe these matters in our auditor’s report unless law or regulation precludes public disclosure about the matter or when, in extremely rare circumstances, we determine that a matter should not be communicated in our report because the adverse consequences of doing so would be expected to outweigh the public interest benefits of such communication.
REPORT ON OTHER LEGAL AND REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS
1. As required by the Companies (Auditor’s Report) Order, 2020 ("the Order”) issued by the Central Government of India in terms of section 143 (11) of the Act, we give in the Annexure
‘A’ a statement on the matters specified in paragraphs 3 and 4 of the Order, to the extent applicable.
2. As required by section 143(3) of the Act, we report that:
[a] We have sought and obtained all the information and explanations, which to the best of our knowledge and belief were necessary for the purpose of our audit.
[b] In our opinion, proper books of account as required by law have been kept by the Company so far as it appears from our examination of those books.
[c] The Balance Sheet, the Statement of Profit and Loss, the Statement of Cash Flow and Statement of Changes in Equity dealt with by this Report are in agreement with the books of account.
[d] In our opinion, the aforesaid standalone financial statements comply with the Indian Accounting Standards specified under section 133 of the Act, read with rule 7 of the Companies [Accounts] Rules, 2014.
[e] On the basis of written representations received from the directors as on 31st March, 2024 and taken on record by the Board of Directors, none of the directors is disqualified as on 31st March, 2024 from being appointed as a director in terms of section 164 [2] of the Act.
[f] With respect to the adequacy of the internal financial controls over financial reporting of the Company and the operating effectiveness of such controls, refer to our separate report in Annexure ‘B’.
[g] With respect to the other matters to be included in the Auditor’s Report in accordance with the requirements of section 197(16] of the Act, as amended:
In our opinion and to the best of our information and according to the explanations given to us, the remuneration paid by the Company to its directors during the year is in accordance with the provisions of section 197 of the Act.
[h] With respect to the other matters to be included in the Auditors’ Report in accordance with Rule 11 of the Companies [Audit and Auditors] Rules, 2014, in our opinion and to the best of our information and according to the explanations given to us:
i. The Company has disclosed the impact of pending litigations on its financial position in its standalone financial statements - Refer Note 34 to the standalone financial statements;
ii. The Company did not have any longterm contracts including any derivative contracts for which there were any material foreseeable losses;
iii. There has been no delay in transferring
the amounts required to be transferred
to the Investor Education and
Protection Fund by the Company.
iv. [a] The Management has represented
that, to the best of its knowledge and belief, no funds [which are material either individually or in the aggregate] have been advanced or loaned or invested [either from borrowed funds or share premium or any other sources or kind of funds] by the Company to or in any other person or entity, including foreign entity [“Intermediaries”], with the understanding, whether recorded in writing or otherwise, that the Intermediary shall, whether, directly or indirectly lend or invest in other persons or entities identified in any manner whatsoever by or on behalf of the Company [“Ultimate Beneficiaries”) or provide any guarantee, security or the like on behalf of the Ultimate Beneficiaries;
[b] The Management has represented, that, to the best of its knowledge and belief, no funds [which are material either individually or in the aggregate] have been received by the Company from any person or entity, including foreign entity [“Funding Parties”], with the understanding, whether recorded in writing or otherwise, that the Company shall, whether, directly or indirectly, lend or invest in other persons or entities identified in any manner whatsoever by or on behalf of the Funding Party [“Ultimate Beneficiaries”) or provide any guarantee, security or the like on behalf of the Ultimate Beneficiaries;
[c] Based on the audit procedures that have been considered reasonable and appropriate in the circumstances, nothing has come to our notice that has caused us to believe that the representations under sub-clause [i] and [ii] of Rule 11[e], as provided under [a] and
[b] above, contain any material misstatement.
v. a) The final dividend paid by the
Company during the year in respect of the same declared for the previous year is in accordance with section 123 of the Companies Act, 2013 to the extent it applies to payment of dividend;
b] The interim dividend declared and paid by the Company during the year and until the date of this report is in compliance with Section 123 of the Act.
vi. During the year, with effect from 1st February, 2024, the Company has migrated to a new ERP system which is widely used as accounting software for maintaining books of accounts. Based on our examination, which included test checks, this accounting software has a required feature of recording audit trail [edit log] facility and that has operated throughout the period from date of migration to the end of financial year.
In case of earlier accounting software, the audit trail (edit log) as well modified value for all relevant transactions were
recorded in the said software except the audit trail [edit log] was not enabled for certain information and it was not enabled at database level.
During the course of performing our procedures, we did not notice any instance of audit trail feature being tampered with, for the period the audit trail feature was enabled.
As proviso to Rule 3[1] of the Companies [Accounts] Rules, 2014 is applicable from 1st April, 2023, reporting under Rule 11[g] of the Companies [Audit and Auditors] Rules, 2014 on preservation of audit trail as per the statutory requirements for record retention is not applicable for the financial year ended 31st March, 2024.
For B R Maheswari & Co LLP
Chartered Accountants Firm’s Registration No. 001035N/N500050
Sudhir Maheshwari
Partner
Date: 14th May, 2024 Membership No.081075
Place: Gurugram UDIN: 24081075BKFDJZ5792
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