Amendment of section 49.
136. In the principal Act, in section 49,-
(i) in sub-section (1), for the word “Corporation”, the word “Board” shall be substituted;
(ii) in sub-section (2),-
(a) in clause (a), for the word “Corporation”, the word “Board” shall be substituted;
(b) clause (c) shall be omitted;
(c) in clause (e), for the word “Fund”, the words “fund or funds” shall be substituted;
(d) for clause (h), the following clause shall be substituted, namely:-
“(h) the manner in which meetings of the Board and its Committees shall be held, the business to be transacted and procedure to be followed thereat, and the quorum therefor;”;
(e) clause (i) shall be omitted;
(f) after clause (m), the following clauses shall be inserted, namely:-
“(n) the manner of election of directors under clause (e) of sub-section (2) of section 4;
(o) the form and manner of registers to be kept and maintained under sub-section (1) of section 5C;
(p) the manner of nomination by an individual registered member or joint holder of shares, the manner of variation or cancellation of such nomination, and the manner of nomination in favour of a minor, under section 5F;
(q) the manner in which and the conditions subject to which shares, including partly paid-up shares, may be issued, held, transferred and registered;
(r) the maintenance and operation of the funds and reserves under section 24;
(s) the form and manner in which the books and records referred to in section 24A may be kept;”;
(iii) after sub-section (2), the following sub-section shall be inserted, namely:-
“(2A) Any reference in the regulations as in force immediately before the coming into force of section 123 of the Finance Act, 2021 to “Investment Committee” shall be construed as a reference to the Investment Committee of the Board referred to in section 19A.”.
Notes on Clauses:
Clauses 119 to 137 of the Bill seek to amend certain provisions of the Life Insurance Corporation Act, 1956 (hereinafter referred to as “the LIC Act”).
It is proposed to amend section 2 of the LIC Act so as to insert new clauses to define the expressions “Audit Committee”, “Board of Directors” or “Board”, “Chairperson”, “Companies Act”, “court”, “director”, “financial statement”, “fully diluted basis”, “independent director”, “Managing Director”, “Nomination and Remuneration Committee”, “notification” and “special resolution”, to amend the definition of expression “member”, and to provide that the words and expressions not defined in the LIC Act or in the Insurance Act, 1938 but defined in the Companies Act, 2013, shall have the meanings respectively assigned to them in the Companies Act, 2013. These amendments are consequential to the other amendments proposed to the LIC Act.
It is further proposed to substitute section 4 of the LIC Act, to provide for the vesting of the general superintendence and direction of the affairs and business of the Life Insurance Corporation of India (hereinafter referred to as “LIC”) in its Board of Directors, the composition thereof, the appointment or nomination of directors thereon, and deeming of members constituting LIC immediately before the coming into force of this section as directors under the substituted section 4, in order to bring the provisions relating to corporate governance in alignment with the requirements under the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015 made by the Securities and Exchange Board of India under the provisions of the Securities and Exchange Board of India Act, 1992, and thereby enabling the listing of LIC on recognised stock exchanges and making of an initial public offer, through which Government may sell its shares in LIC.
It is also proposed to insert new sections 4A, 4B, 4C and 4D in the LIC Act to provide for disqualifications to be a director, disclosure of interest by director and senior management, related party transactions and adjudication of penalties for contravention or violation liable to penalty under the LIC Act, in order to bring the provisions relating to corporate governance in alignment with listing requirements.
It is also proposed to substitute section 5 of the LIC Act, to provide for LIC’s capital, issue of equity shares to the Central Government in consideration for paid-up equity capital provided by the Central Government to LIC before the coming into force of the new section, application of premiums received on issue of LIC’s shares, increase or reduction of share capital by the Central Government, making of reservation on a competitive basis in favour of LIC’s life insurance policyholders who may be offered shares at a price lower than that offered to public, eligibility of all LIC shares acquired by the Central Government during three years preceding an initial public offer for computation of minimum promoter’s contribution and of all fully paid-up equity shares of LIC held by the Central Government for an offer of sale by way of an initial public offer notwithstanding any ineligibility for such computation or any condition for a minimum holding period under any law for the time being in force, and issuing of other securities by LIC for raising funds to meet its business requirements. These amendments will enable issue of shares to the Central Government against paid-up capital invested by it in LIC as well as issue of bonus shares to the Central Government, which could be offered for sale by way of an initial public offer, with resultant receipt of money into the Consolidated Fund of India.
It is also proposed to insert new sections 5A, 5B, 5C, 5D, 5E and 5F in the LIC Act, to provide respectively for transferability of shares, voting rights, register of members, declaration in respect of beneficial interest in shares, deeming of LIC’s shares to be securities and right of registered shareholders to nominate, in order to bring the provisions relating to share transfer, rights of shareholders including voting in shareholder meeting, disclosure of beneficial interest in securities and recognition of securities as shares in alignment with the requirements under the Securities Contract (Regulation) Act, 1956 and listing requirements.
It is also proposed to substitute section 19 of the LIC Act to provide for the constitution, composition and powers of the Executive Committee of the Board, in order to bring the provisions relating to corporate governance in alignment with listing requirements.
It is also proposed to insert new sections 19A, 19B, 19C and 19D in the LIC Act to provide for the constitution, composition and the powers, functions and duties of various committees of the Board, in order to bring the provisions relating to corporate governance in alignment with listing requirements.
It is also proposed to substitute section 20 of the LIC Act to provide for entrustment and delegation of powers and duties of the Chairperson and Managing Directors of LIC by its Board, in order to bring the provisions relating to corporate governance in alignment with listing requirements.
It is also proposed to amend section 22 of the LIC Act to omit the existing provision under sub-section (2) for constitution of a Board in each zone of LIC and to amend the existing provision for a “member” of LIC (who corresponds to a director under the proposed amendments) to be a Zonal Manager of LIC, consequential to proposed constitution of Board of LIC under the substituted section 4 and the disqualification to be a director under clause (l) of the new section 4A.
It is also proposed to insert new section 23A in the LIC Act, to provide for annual general meeting and other general meetings of registered shareholders of LIC, in order to bring the provisions relating to the rights of LIC’s shareholders in alignment with listing requirements.
It is also proposed to substitute section 24 of the LIC Act, to provide for LIC having a multiplicity of funds, establishment of reserves and maintenance of separate funds for participating and non-participating policyholders of LIC, which are matters incidental to the proposed new sections 28, 28B and 28C.
It is also proposed to insert new sections 24A, 24B, 24C and 24D in the LIC Act, to provide respectively for books of account, financial statements, Board’s report and penalties for contravention by person charged with the duty of complying with the provisions of new sections 24A or 24B or 24C, in order to bring the provisions relating to the integrity of LIC’s accounting and financial reporting systems, control systems and compliance with the law and relevant standards in alignment with listing requirements.
It is also proposed to substitute section 25 of the LIC Act, to provide for appointment of auditors, and bring the provisions relating to the integrity of LIC’s audit, accounting standards and compliance with the law and relevant standards in alignment with listing requirements.
It is also proposed to insert new sections 25A, 25B, 25C and 25D in the LIC Act, to provide respectively for removal and resignation of auditor, powers and duties of auditor and auditor’s report, internal auditor and special auditor, in order to bring the provisions relating to the integrity of LIC’s audit, accounting standards and compliance with the law and relevant standards in alignment with listing requirements.
It is also proposed to amend section 26 of the LIC Act to provide for substitution of the reference to the Corporation with reference to the Board, consequential to constitution of the Board of LIC under the proposed amended section 4 in place of the constitution of the Corporation under the existing section 4.
It is also proposed to amend section 27 of the LIC Act, to omit the provisions relating to giving in the Annual Report an account of activities likely to be taken by LIC in the next financial year, in order to bring the provisions relating to the Annual Report in alignment with listing requirements.
It is also proposed to substitute section 28 of the LIC Act, to provide for the allocation to or reservation for registered shareholders of one hundred per cent. of the surplus relating to non-participating policyholders in every financial year’s surplus, in addition to up to ten per cent. of the surplus relating to participating policyholders, as against a maximum of ten per cent. of the total surplus under the existing section 28, representing enhancement in money receivable into the Consolidated Fund of India on account of such increased allocation or reservation.
It is also proposed to amend section 28A and insert new sections 28B and 28C in the LIC Act, to make provisions regarding the declaration of dividend and crediting of unclaimed and unpaid dividend amount to an Unpaid Dividend Account, in order to bring the provisions relating to dividends in alignment with listing requirements and consequential to the provision under the proposed new section 5 for issue of equity share capital to persons other than the Central Government.
It is also proposed to substitute section 46 of the LIC Act, to provide that defects in constitution of the Board and committees thereof, or in appointment or nomination of directors, will not invalidate their acts or proceedings, which are matters incidental to the proposed creation of the Board and its committees under the proposed new sections 4, 19, 19A, 19B, 19C and 19D.
It is also proposed to substitute section 47 in the LIC Act, to provide for protection of action taken by a director other than a whole-time director, which are matters incidental to the provision for independent, elected and other categories of non-whole-time directors under the proposed new section 4.
It is also proposed to amend sub-section (2) of section 48 of the LIC Act, to provide for making of rules by the Central Government relating to various matters that are either incidental to or consequent upon the various other amendments proposed in this Part.
It is also proposed to amend section 49 of the LIC Act, to provide for making of regulations by the Board of LIC relating to various matters that are either incidental or consequent upon the various other amendments proposed in this Part.
It is also proposed to insert new sections 50 and 51 in the LIC Act to provide for the form, manner, etc. for companies to apply with modifications to LIC, and to provide for the power of the Central Government to remove difficulties by order published in the Official Gazette, which are matters incidental to the various other amendments proposed in this Part.
These amendments will take effect from such dates as the Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, appoint.
