Announcement regarding working hours of the Articled Assistants

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The Council has considered the issue regarding the working hours of the articled assistants. The Council is of the view that the article training is an important part of the CA curriculum and the same needs to be carried out in accordance with the scheme framed by the ICAI in this behalf. Accordingly, to clarify the doubts being raised by various quarters about the working hours of the articled assistants and for pursuing graduation/other course, the Council decided to issue the following directions:-

1. The articled assistants should undergo practical training in accordance with the Chartered Accountants Regulations, 1988 as explained hereinafter.

The working hours for the articled assistants shall be 35 hours in a week excluding the lunch break.

The office hours of the Principal for providing article training to the articled assistants shall not be generally before 9.00 A.M. or after 7.00 P.M.

The normal working hours for the articled assistants shall not start after 11.00 A.M. or end before 5.00 P.M.

The working hours for the articled assistants should not exceed 35 hours in a week excluding the lunch break and normally an articled assistant be required to work during the normal working hours fixed for articled assistants.

In case of the exigencies of work with the Principal, an articled assistant may be required to work beyond his/her normal working hours. However, under such circumstances, the aggregate number of working hours shall not exceed 45 hours per week. The requirement to work beyond 35 hours in a week should not be a practice but only in exceptional circumstances. Further, where the articled assistant is required to work beyond normal working hours, and aggregate of such hours exceed 35 hours per week, he/she shall be entitled to compensatory leave calculated with reference to number of completed working hours, over and above, 35 hours per week.

The facility of allowing flexible office hours stands withdrawn.

2. During the working hours, the articled assistant is not permitted to attend college/other institutions for pursuing any course including graduation. Accordingly, college timings of such course should not be such (after taking into account the time required to commute) which clashes with the normal working hours of the article training.

3. To ensure that the working hours do not clash with the graduation or any other course, if any pursued by the article assistant, each articled assistant registered on or after 1st April, 2008 shall now be required to obtain specific permission from the ICAI for pursuing graduation or other course as permitted under the Chartered Accountants Regulation by submitting Form No.112, within one month from the date of joining the college or course to the ICAI.

4. The articled assistant presently registered and undergoing graduation or any other course and who have not obtained specific permission shall be required to obtain the specific permission from the ICAI by submitting Form No.112 within six months of issue of these guidelines i.e. by 30th September, 2008. However those students who have already obtained the specific permission by submitting Form No. 112, need not obtain it again and the permission so granted shall continue to be valid.

5. The Certificate in Form No. 112 indicating college timings etc. shall be counter-signed by the concerned Principal of the college with the seal and stamp of the College and also indicating the telephone number/s and full address of the College.

6. In case a student does not comply with the above requirements or violates any of the above guidelines, his/her article ship period shall not be recognised.

7. In this connection, attention is invited to the Regulations 65 and 66 read with 

Regulation 60 of the Chartered Accountants Regulations, 1988 which provide as under:-

Regulation 60:   Working hours of an Articled Clerk

“Subject to such directions as may be issued by the Council, the working hours of an articled clerk shall be 35 hours per week to be regulated by the Principal from time to time”.

Regulation 65:   Articled clerk not to engage in any other occupation “Without the previous permission of the Council, obtained on application made in the *approved form, no articled clerk shall, during the period of his service as an articled clerk, take any other course of study or training, whether academic or professional, or engage in any business or occupation.”

Regulation 66:   Enquiries against articled clerk

(1)   Where a complaint or information of any misconduct or breach of Regulation 65 or breach of any of the covenants contained in the articles is received against an articled clerk from his principal or any other person, the President or the Vice-President as the Executive Committee may decide from time to time, may cause an investigation to be made.

(2)   The Executive Committee may, on a consideration of the report of the investigation and after giving the articled clerk an opportunity of being heard, make any of the following orders, namely;-direct that the papers be filed and the complaint be dismissed, if the Executive Committee finds that the articled clerk is not guilty of any misconduct of breach of Regulation 65 or breach of any of the covenants contained in the articles; or if the articled clerk is found guilty, reprimand the articled clerk or cancel the registration of articles or direct that any period already served under such articles shall not be reckoned as service for the purpose of the period of practical training specified in Regulation 50.

(3)   The articled clerk, the registration of whose articles has been cancelled under this regulation, shall not, except with the permission of the Executive Committee be retained or taken as an articled clerk or audit clerk by any member”.

Source: ICAI

Service Tax Registration

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS FOR SERVICE TAX REGISTRATION

Following documents to be submitted along with ST-1 & Acknowledgement receipt.

A.   IN CASE OF PARTNERSHIP FIRM:

1.   Photocopy of the PAN card of the Partnership firm(affixing the stamp along with partners signature)

2.   Complete set of the Partnership deed.

3.   Address proof of Partnership Firm, if premises is

a.    Owned:

Ø  Address proof of the premises like latest electricity bill, telephone bill, Bank statement etc.

b.   Rental:

Ø  Copy of Rent agreement of the office premises from landlord.

Ø  NOC from Landlord (required in stamp paper of Rs 10/- format enclosed)

Ø  Copy of ownership documents of landlord like latest electricity bill, telephone bill, Bank statement etc.

Ø  Rent Receipt

4.   Pan card of the partners(Signed by all the partners)

5.   Address proof of the partners(Signed by all the partners)

6.   Power of attorney or Letter of authority (On the letter head of the Partnership firm )

7.   Annexure A and B (On the letter head of the Partnership firm)

B.   IN CASE OF COMPANY:

1.   Copy of the PAN card in the Company (affixing the stamp along with director’s signature)

2.   One copy of MOA/AOA of the company with affixing stamp and signature of the directors in the first page, second page, last page of MOA and last page of AOA.

3.   Copy of certificate of incorporation of the company (Affixing the stamp along with director’s signature.

4.   Address proof of Company, if premises is

a.    Owned:

Ø  Property Documents

Ø  Address proof of the premises like Latest Electricity bill, Telephone bill, Bank statement etc.

b.   Rental:

Ø  Copy of Rent agreement of the office premises from landlord.

Ø  NOC from Landlord (required in stamp paper of Rs 10/- format enclosed)

Ø  Copy of ownership documents of landlord like electricity bill, telephone bill, Bank statement etc.

5.   Pan card of each directors (Self attested by each director and affix the stamp of the company)

6.   Address proof of each directors (Self attested by each director and affix the stamp of the company)

7.   Power of attorney or Letter of authority (on the letter head of the company, format provided by us)

8.   Annexure A and B (on the letter head of the company, format provided by us)

9.   Resolution passed by the Board of Directors at meeting (On the letter head of the Company, format provided by us)

10.  Annexure V (on the letter head of the company, format provided by us)

11.  Cancelled cheque in the name of the company

C.   IN CASE OF SOLE-PROPRIETORSHIP:

1.   Copy of the PAN card of the sole-proprietor (self attested by the sole-proprietor)

2.   Address proof of the sole-proprietor (self attested by the sole-proprietor)

3.   Address proof of sole-proprietorship firm, if premises is

a.    Owned:

Ø  Property Documents

Ø  Address proof of the premises like Latest Electricity bill, Telephone bill, Bank statement etc.

b.   Rental:

Ø  Copy of Rent agreement of the office premises from landlord.

Ø  NOC from Landlord (required in stamp paper of Rs 10/- format enclosed)

Ø  Copy of ownership documents of landlord like electricity bill, telephone bill, Bank statement etc.

4.   Annexure V

5.   Cancelled cheque (Details information of the bank)

Do whatever you want, do not consider what others will think about you...

• "I value the friend who for me finds time on his calendar, but I cherish the friend who for me does not consult his calendar." 

• "I would rather walk with a friend in the dark, than alone in the light."

• "Friends should be like books, few, but hand-selected."

The Social Thing- of handbags & diamonds

‘A Social Cause’There are sniggers in the kitchen ~ " bahot comedy hota hai jab bhi Madam party se wapis aata hai , Saab to chuha ka mafik newspaper ka peechhey chhup kar baith gayaa hai!" ~ Rosie's merriment would have increased vastly, had she viewed Madam Dudlani fuming smoke from her ears and jiggling her prosperity-laden love handles in frustrated fury! Their entire NY luxury trip had lost its flavour.  The evening had turned a painful 'flop'!  She'd waved her hands in all variety of dance 'mudras' to display the rock sized adornment on her finger, with mention of "Tiffany" at every drop of a sentence, the applause and envy she'd dreamed of had been rudely upstaged by Silky Sood’s new silver-mauve acquisition glinting brazenly in the drive. She couldn't pronounce 'Lamborghini' but had that stopped her from tom-tomming reference to the cussed object? The Dudlani's evening had turned murkily sour! Paul the driver summed up the evening –"Aapan-log much jolly! Ek Sunday mutton curry, ek Sunday chicken curry, ek Sunday fish curry, ek Sunday 'aeig'-curry, phir salary- day and 'fiqar-not' ka bottle! Kamti paisa, kamti tension!" This little scene is a reflection of the times that are. And of the aspirational, amorphous section of Mumbai life, called "Society".So what’s the philosophy of our times? It is well recognized that this same ‘society’ bow’s well to the well-endowed! Never mind how the ‘well-endowed’ Mr. Money-bags acquired the stuff. His last summer holiday could have been at the most ‘prestigious’ Tihar Jail, but so long as he’s got the props he’s welcomed with open arms. And this society is the self-appointed code setter of ‘where you will live; what you should wear; how you should live; where you must holiday; what sport you should play; how equipped you are with salon cars, yachts, watches, international brands, what you should do and more importantly what you must not do.
I'm wondering, with the recently announced Bharat Ratna for Atalbihariji, they overlooked the spectacular achievements of one Mr. Yadav of U.P? His stupendous talents in conjuring up hundreds of thousands of crores (gasp!!) as a govt. engineer baffles. Mumbai society too lives the mantra. You got it you flaunt it. You aint got it you still flaunt it's appurtenances as though you've got it. You can’t make it then fake it, mortgage, beg, borrow or import container loads of fakes from China. Your red blood cell count is directly proportionate to your neighbor's green complexion!  And you are nobly doing your bit of national level economic social service. Banks, institutions and related bodies pay their dazzling salaries to staff on your overdrafts, loans and mortgages!  I'm wondering about those times of when Bombay boasted a cosmopolitan, cultural, more genteel, achievement oriented elite. The kinds that read books than the carats on a diamond alone, and attended theater, that spent the afternoon at Jehangir art gallery. A breed soon to be relegated to dinosaur era. Time was, they could patronizingly deride Delhi and its emphasis on crass ostentatious, nouveau riche culture. I so clearly recall a Bombayite, telling a Deli-ite who had built an outrageous, tasteless, monument of a house - "all that is lacking in your house Mr Bubbar, is wall-papering it with thousand rupee notes!” Today the description could be swapped to fit Mumbai more aptly.
 I so clearly recall a Bombayite, telling a Deli-ite who had built an outrageous, tasteless, monument of a house - "all that is lacking in your house Mr Bubbar, is wall-papering it with thousand rupee notes!” Today the description could be swapped to fit Mumbai more aptlyMadam Dudlani, Silky Sood and their ilk convey to their dedicated followers what to wear, where to gather, where to live, if you have to be considered an adequate being to belong to that amorphous, gigantic amoeba called 'Society' whose aspirants go to any lengths to strut the stuff on the ‘internaat’ because they couldn't make it to Page three in their morning papers! Hours spent strategically posing to impress and convey the image of plenitude and being branded at any cost-labels, and such, from wearables and even luggage and it’s the international companies that are laughing all the way to the bank! Even to the nuances! Absurdly 'mwah-mwa-ing away to glory!

TROUBLED MARRIAGES ARE BEST GIVEN A MISS SOMETIMES

A childhood friend who got married before any of us friends within our school batch,  seemed to be having some marital problems fairly early on in her relationship. Her parents urged the couple to go in for marriage counselling. Teething problems we all thought. And yet somewhere some instinct had told me it ran deeper. They patched it up- to the relief of the parents -who were very keen not to cut a sorry figure in their ‘community’. A brood of kids followed and all seemed okay until recently many years down the line I received a cryptic message about ‘being treated like a maid’ and verbal and mental abuse. I was shocked. Nothing had changed? She was the passive suffering victim of violence through all these precious years?
Often the woman in a marriage is ridden rough shod upon because she is not the bread winner and the contribution she makes in terms of cooking, cleaning and generally being the ‘fall guy’ for kids, in-laws and family is taken very much for granted. There is no value for the sacrifices she has made and her husband is oblivious to her needs and desires. He feels that any kindness ‘bestowed’ upon her is a favor.
I recognized this from the experiences of many friends from school and college who got married to dominating men that wanted a ‘housewife’ to keep home and hearth. The statistic is higher when women give themselves up headlong into the chores of marriage -giving up all financial independence and cutting down drastically on personal pursuits of happiness.