Asian Paints Limited
REPORT ON THE AUDIT OF THE STANDALONE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Opinion
We have audited the accompanying Standalone Financial Statements of Asian Paints Limited ("the Company"), which comprise the Balance Sheet as at 31st March, 2024, and the Statement of Profit and Loss (including Other
Comprehensive Income), the Cash Flow Statement and the Statement of Changes in Equity for the year ended on that date, 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 Companies Act, 2013 ("the 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, ("Ind AS") and other accounting principles generally accepted in India, of the state of affairs of the Company as at 31st March, 2024, and its profit, total comprehensive income, its cash flows and the changes in equity for the year ended on that date.
Basis for Opinion
We conducted our audit of the Standalone Financial Statements 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 Responsibility for the Audit of the Standalone 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 ("ICAI") together with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the Standalone Financial Statements under the provisions of the Act and the Rules made thereunder, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements and the ICAI's Code of Ethics. We believe that the audit evidence obtained by us is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our audit opinion on the Standalone Financial Statements.
Key Audit Matters
Key audit matters are those matters that, in our professional judgement, were of most significance in our audit of the Standalone Financial Statements of the current period. These matters were addressed in the context of
our audit of the Standalone 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.
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Key Audit Matter
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Auditor's Response
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Revenue recognition (Refer note 1.4(e) and 22A of the Standalone Financial Statements)
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Revenue is one of the key profit drivers and is therefore susceptible to misstatement. Cut-off is the key assertion insofar as revenue recognition is concerned, since an inappropriate cutoff can result in material misstatement of results for the year.
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Our audit procedures with regard to revenue recognition included testing controls, automated and manual, around dispatches / deliveries, inventory reconciliations and circularization of receivable balances, testing of cut-offs and performing analytical review procedures.
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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 Board's Report and Business responsibility report, but does not include the
Consolidated Financial Statements, 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 there is a material misstatement of this other
information, we are required to report that fact. We have nothing to report in this regard.
Responsibilities of Management and Those Charged with Governance 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, cash flows and changes in equity
of the Company in accordance with the 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 the assets of the Company and for preventing and detecting frauds and other irregularities; selection and application of appropriate accounting policies; making judgements 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 Standalone Financial Statements, management and Board of Directors 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 the Board of Directors either intend to liquidate the Company or to cease operations, or has no realistic alternative but to do so.
The Company's Board of Directors are also responsible for overseeing the Company's financial reporting process.
Auditor's Responsibility for the Audit of the Standalone Financial Statements
Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the Standalone 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 judgement and maintain professional skepticism throughout the audit. We also :
• Identify and assess the risks of material misstatement of the Standalone 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 financial 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 with reference to Standalone Financial Statements 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 the 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 Standalone Financial Statements, including the disclosures, and whether the Standalone Financial Statements represent the underlying transactions and events in a manner that achieves fair presentation.
Materiality is the magnitude of misstatements in the Standalone Financial Statements that, individually or in aggregate, makes it probable that the economic decisions of a reasonably knowledgeable user of the Standalone 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 Standalone 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 financial controls that we identify during our audit.
(b) The Management has represented, that, to the best of its knowledge and belief, as disclosed in the notes to the Standalone Financial Statements, no funds have been received by
the Company from any person(s) or entity(ies), including foreign entities ("Funding Parties"), with the understanding, whether recorded in writing or otherwise, that the Company shall, 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 performed 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. The final dividend proposed in the previous
year, declared and paid by the Company during the year is in accordance with section 123 of the Act, as applicable.
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.
As stated in note 12(b) to the Standalone Financial Statements, the Board of Directors of the Company has proposed final dividend for the year which is subject to the approval of the members at the ensuing Annual
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.
From the matters communicated with those charged with governance, we determine those matters that were of most significance in the audit of the Standalone 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 reasonably be expected to outweigh the public interest benefits of such communication.
Report on Other Legal and Regulatory Requirements
1. As required by Section 143(3) of the Act, based on our
audit 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 Cash Flow Statement and Statement of Changes in Equity dealt with by this Report are in
agreement with the relevant books of account.
d) In our opinion, the aforesaid Standalone Financial Statements comply with the Ind AS specified
under Section 133 of the Act.
e) On the basis of the written representations received from the directors as on 31st March, 2024 taken on record by the Board of Directors, none of the directors is disqualified as on 31 st 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 with reference to Standalone Financial Statements of the Company and the operating effectiveness of such controls, refer to our separate Report in "Annexure A". Our report expresses an unmodified opinion on the adequacy
and operating effectiveness of the Company's internal financial controls with reference to Standalone Financial Statements.
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 Auditor's Report in accordance with Rule 11 of the Companies (Audit and Auditors) Rules, 2014, as amended 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.
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 the notes to the Standalone Financial Statements, 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(s) or entity(ies), including foreign entities ("Intermediaries"), with the understanding, whether recorded in writing or otherwise, that the Intermediary shall, 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.
General Meeting. Such dividend proposed is
in accordance with section 123 of the Act, as applicable.
vi. Based on our examination, which included test checks, the Company has used accounting softwares for maintaining its books of account for the financial year ended 31st March, 2024 which has a feature of recording audit trail (edit log) facility and the same has operated throughout the year for all relevant transactions recorded in the softwares. Further, during the course of our audit we did not come across any instance of the audit trail feature being tampered with.
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.
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.
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