Opinion

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 Companies Act, 2013 (“Act”) in the manner so required and give a true and fair view in conformity with the Indian Accounting Standards prescribed under section 133 of the Act read with the Companies (Indian Accounting Standards) Rules, 2015, as amended, (“Ind AS”) and other accounting principles generally accepted in India, of the state of affairs of the Company as at March 31, 2023, the Profit (Including Other Comprehensive Income), the changes in Equity, and its cash flows 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 Act. 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 Act and the Rules there under, 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 judgement, 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 Financial Statements as a whole, and in forming our opinion thereon and we do not provide a separate opinion on these matters. We have determined the matters described below to be the key audit matters to be communicated in our report.

Information other than the Financial Statements and Auditor’s Report thereon

The Company’s Board of Directors is responsible for the other information. The other information comprises the Information included in the Annual Report, but does not include the standalone financial statements and our auditor’s 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 if there is a material mis-statement 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 Act with

respect to the preparation of these Standalone Financial Statements that give a true and fair view of the Financial Position, Financial Performance (including Other Comprehensive Income), Changes in Equity and Cash Flows of the Company in accordance with Ind AS and other accounting principles generally accepted in India. This responsibility also includes maintenance of adequate accounting records in accordance with the provisions of the Act for safeguarding of the assets of the Company and for preventing and detecting frauds and other irregularities; selection and application of appropriate implementation and maintenance of 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 Ind AS Financial Statements that give a true and fair view and are free from material mis-statement, 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.

The Board of Directors is also responsible for overseeing the Company’s financial reporting process.

Auditor's Responsibilities for the Audit of the Financial Statements

Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material mis-statement, 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 mis-statement when it exists. Mis-statements 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 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 mis-statement 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 controls relevant to the audit in order to design audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances. Under section 143(3)(i) of the Act, 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.

• Evaluate the appropriateness of accounting policies used and the reasonableness of accounting estimates and related disclosures made by management.

• Conclude 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 standalone 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 auditor’s report. However, future events or conditions may cause the Company to cease to continue as a going concern.

• Evaluate 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.

Materiality is the magnitude of mis-statements in the standalone financial statements that, individually or in aggregate, makes it probable that the economic decisions of a reasonably 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 reasonably be thought to bear on our independence, and where applicable, related safeguards.

Report on other Legal and Regulatory Requirements

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 purposes 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 (including Other Comprehensive Income), the Statement of Changes in Equity and the Cash Flow Statement dealt with by this Report are in agreement with the books of account.

d. In our opinion, the aforesaid standalone Ind AS financial statements comply with the Indian Accounting Standards prescribed under Section 133 of the Act, read with Rule 7 of the Companies (Accounts) Rules, 2014.

e. On the basis of the written representations received from the Directors as on 31st March, 2023 taken on record by the Board of Directors, none of the Directors is disqualified as on 31st March 2023 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 with reference to the financial statements of the Company, and the operating effectiveness of such controls, refer to our separate Report in “Annexure A”.

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 financial statements. Refer Note no.29 to the financial statements.

ii) The Company did not have any long-term contracts including derivative contracts for which there were any material foreseeable losses.

iii) There has been no delay in transferring 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, as disclosed in Note No. 34 to the financial statements no funds 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 persons or entities, including foreign entities (“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, as disclosed in Note No.34 to financial statements no funds have been received by the Company from any persons or entities, including foreign entities (“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 ; and

(c) Based on such audit procedures we have 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) contain any material mis-statement.

v) The final dividend paid by the Company during the year relating to financial year 2021 is in accordance with section 123 of the Companies Act 2013. As stated in Note No. 11(f) to financial statements, the Board of Directors of the Company have proposed final dividend for the year which is subject to the approval of the members at the ensuing Annual General Meeting. The dividend proposed is in accordance with section 123 of the Act.

vi) Proviso to Rule 3(1) of the Companies (Accounts) Rules, 2014 for maintaining books of account using accounting software which has a feature of recording audit trail (edit log) facility is applicable to the Company with effect from April 1, 2023, and accordingly, reporting under Rule 11(g) of Companies (Audit and Auditors) Rules, 2014 is not applicable for the financial year ended March 31,2023.

2. As required by the Companies (Auditor’s Report) Order, 2020 (“the Order”) issued by the Central Government in terms of Section 143(11) of the Act, we give in “Annexure B” a statement on the matters specified in paragraphs 3 and 4 of the Order.

For M/S S. Viswanathan LLP

Regn. No.004770S/S200025 Chartered Accountants

Chella K Srinivasan

Partner

Chennai Membership number: 023305

28th April 2023 UDIN: 23023305BGWNGU8322