POWER GRID CORPORATION OF INDIA LIMITED
Report on the Audit of the Standalone Financial Statements
Opinion
We have audited the accompanying Standalone Financial Statements of Power Grid Corporation of India Limited ("the Company"), which comprise the Standalone Balance Sheet as at 31 March 2024, the Standalone Statement of Profit and Loss (including Other Comprehensive Income), the Standalone Statement of Changes in Equity and the Standalone Statement of Cash Flows for the year ended on that date, and notes to the Standalone financial statements including material accounting policies and other explanatory information (hereinafter referred to as "the Standalone Financial Statements").
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 accounting principles generally accepted in India, of the state of affairs of the Company as at 31 March 2024, the profit and total comprehensive income, changes in equity and its cash flows 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 Responsibilities 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 we have obtained 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 judgment, were of most significance in our audit of the Standalone Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2024. 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.
|
Sr.
No.
|
Key Audit Matters
|
How the matter was addressed in our audit
|
|
1
|
Recognition of Revenue from Transmission Income
Transmission Income is accounted for, based on tariff orders notified by the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission "CERC". In case of transmission projects where final tariff orders are yet to be notified, transmission income is accounted for on provisional basis as per Tariff Regulations and Orders of the CERC in earlier cases. Difference, if any, is accounted for on issuance of final Tariff Orders by the CERC. As at each reporting date, transmission income also includes an accrual for services rendered to the customers but not yet billed i.e., Unbilled Revenue.
|
Our audit approach involved:
Obtaining an understanding of the CERC Tariff Regulations, Orders, Circulars, Guidelines and the Company's internal circulars and procedures in respect of recognition and measurement of revenue from transmission of power.
• Evaluated and tested the effectiveness of the design of Internal controls relating to recognition and measurement of revenue from Transmission.
• Verified the transmission revenue based on the CERC Tariff Regulation, Orders, Circulars, Guidelines and the Company's internal circulars.
|
|
Sr.
No.
|
Key Audit Matters
|
How the matter was addressed in our audit
|
| |
This is considered as Key Audit Matter due to the nature and extent of estimates made as per CERC Tariff Regulations and contracts with customers for recognition of revenue.
(Refer Note No. 35(b)(ii) Standalone Financial Statements)
|
• Verified on test basis, the income recognised on provisional basis as per the regulatory guidelines and orders of the CERC in recent cases where tariff orders were issued, for the assets whose final orders are yet to be notified by CERC, based on the date of commercial operation (DOCO) letters issued by Regional technical heads, and capital cost, as certified by the Management.
Based on the above procedure performed, the recognition and measurement of revenue from transmission of power is considered to be adequate and reasonable.
|
|
2
|
Deferred Tax Assets relating to Minimum Alternate Tax ("MAT") credit entitlement
The Company has considered MAT credit in anticipation of set off against the tax payable in future years and created Deferred Tax Asset for the same during the year. Corresponding to the said MAT Credit Entitlement, a Deferred Regulatory liability payable to the beneficiaries in subsequent periods as per CERC Tariff Regulations has been recognized.
We identified this as a key audit matter because of the importance of this matter to the intended users of the financial statements and its materiality and requirement of judgement in assessing future taxable profits for recognition of MAT credit entitlement. (Refer Note No.26 of Standalone Financial Statements.)
|
Our audit approach involved:
• Reviewing the current status of availability of MAT credits.
• Assessing the related forecasts of future taxable profits, evaluated the reasonableness and consistency of the considerations/ assumptions underlying the preparation of these forecasts.
Based on the above procedures performed, the recognition and measurement of Deferred tax asset relating to MAT credit entitlement and corresponding Regulatory Deferral Liability towards customers, is considered to be adequate and reasonable.
|
|
3
|
Assessment of Contingent liabilities in respect of certain litigations including land compensation, direct and indirect taxes, various claims filed by other parties not
|
We have obtained an understanding of the Company's procedure in respect of estimation and disclosure of contingent liabilities and adopted the following audit procedures:
|
| |
acknowledged as debt.
There is a high level of judgement required in estimating the contingent liabilities. The Company's assessment of contingent liabilities is supported by the facts of the matter, Company's judgement thereon, past experience and advices from legal and independent tax consultants wherever necessary.
We identified the above area as Key Audit Matter in view of associated uncertainty relating to the outcome of these matters. (Refer Note No. 58 of Standalone Financial Statements)
|
• Reviewed the current status and material developments of legal matters.
• Reviewed the legal and other professional expenses and enquired with the management for recent developments and the status of the material litigations.
• Performed our assessment on a test basis on the underlying calculations supporting the contingent liabilities/other significant litigations disclosed in the standalone financial statements.
• Examined recent orders from competent authorities and/ or communication received from various authorities, judicial forums and follow-up action thereon.
Based on the above procedures performed, the estimation and disclosures of contingent liabilities is considered to be adequate and reasonable.
|
Other Matter
The Standalone Financial Statements includes comparative figures for the corresponding year ended 31 March 2023, audited by the predecessor three Joint Statutory Auditors of the Company, where they have expressed an unmodified opinion vide their report dated 19 May 2023 on such Standalone Financial Statements.
Information Other than the Standalone Financial Statements and Auditor's 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 Auditor's Report thereon. The other information as identified above is expected to be made available to us after the date of this Auditor's Report.
Our opinion on the Standalone Financial Statements does not cover the other information and we will 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 identified above when it becomes available 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.
When we read those documents including annexures, if any thereon, if we conclude that there is a material misstatement therein, we shall communicate the matter to those charged with the governance.
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, changes in equity and cash flows of the Company in accordance with the accounting principles generally accepted in India, including the Indian Accounting Standards (Ind AS) specified under section 133 of the Act read with the Companies (Indian Accounting Standards) Rules, 2015, as amended.
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 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 are responsible for overseeing the Company's financial reporting process.
Auditor's Responsibilities 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 judgment 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 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 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 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.
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 Standalone Balance Sheet, the Standalone Statement of Profit and Loss including Other Comprehensive Income, Standalone Statement of Changes in Equity and the Standalone Statement of Cash Flows 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 Ind AS specified under Section 133 of the Act, read with the relevant rules issued thereunder;
(e) In view of exemption given vide notification no. G.S.R. 463(e) dated June 5, 2015, issued by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, provisions of Section 164(2) of the Act regarding disqualification of Directors, are not applicable to the Company;
(f) With respect to the adequacy of the internal financial controls over financial reporting with reference to Standalone Financial Statements of the Company and the operating effectiveness of such controls, refer to our separate report in Annexure '1'.
(g) Pursuant to Notification No. GSR 463(e) dated 5th June 2015 issued by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Government of India, provisions of Section 197 of the Companies Act, 2013, are not applicable to the Company, being a Government Company; and
(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 - Refer Note 58 to the Standalone financial statements.
ii) The Company was not required to recognise a provision as at 31 March 2024 under the applicable law or accounting standards, as it does not have any material foreseeable losses on long-term contracts (including derivative contracts).
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, 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 proposed for the previous year, declared and paid by the Company during the year is in accordance with Section 123 of the Act, to the extent it applies to payment of dividend.
(b) Interim dividend declared and paid by the Company during the year is in accordance with Section 123 of the Act.
(c) As stated in note 59(b) to the 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 General Meeting. The amount of dividend proposed is in accordance with Section 123 of the Act to the extent it applies to declaration of dividend.
vi) Based on our examination, which included test checks, the Company has used accounting software for maintaining its books of account for the financial year ended 31 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 software. 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 01 April 2023, reporting under Rule 11(g) of Companies (Audit and Auditors) Rules, 2014 on preservation of audit trail as per statutory requirements for record retention is not applicable for the financial year ended 31 March 2024.
2. In terms of section 143(5) of the Companies Act, 2013, we give in Annexure '2', our report on the directions issued by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India.
3. 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 '3' a statement on the matters specified in paragraphs 3 and 4 of the Order.
For S. RAMANAND AIYAR & CO. For Suresh Surana & Associates LLP
Chartered Accountants Chartered Accountants
FRN: 000990N FRN: 121750W/W-100010
Puneet Jain Avilas Agarwal
Partner Partner
M. No. 520928 M. No. 062668
UDIN: 24520928BJZWTK6775 UDIN: 24062668BKBIWK9955
For Sagar & Associates For G. D. Apte & Co.
Chartered Accountants Chartered Accountants
FRN: 003510S FRN: 100515W
Ajay Kumar Mishra C. M. Dixit
Partner Partner
M. No. 205468 M. No. 17532
UDIN: 24205468BKGPBF3403 UDIN: 24017532BKESDY3200
Place: Mumbai
Date: 22 May 2024
|