Company Secretary : Introduction
Company Secretary is a professional course administered by The Institute
of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI) under the Company Secretaries Act,
1980 to develop and regulate the profession of Company Secretaries in
India. According to the Companies Act, companies with a paid up capital
of Rs 50 lakh are required to appoint a Company Secretary. Company Secretary
course gives you knowledge and understanding of the modern practice in
corporate financial and
legal affair. To become a Company Secretary, the candidate need to pass
the Foundation Programme, Executive Programme, and Professional Programme
that were earlier respectively known as Foundation Examination, Intermediate
Examination and Final examination conducted by the institute and further,
they need to undergo practical training to become eligible for the membership
as a Company Secretary.
A Company Secretary's service is very much important for a company’s
management. The work of a Company Secretary covers a wide variety of functions-
he acts as a vital link between the Company, the Board of Directors, shareholders,
governmental and regulatory agencies. He is a compliance officer of the
company as well as Corporate Planner and Strategic Manager. Apart from
carrying out these functions he also looks after finance, accounts, legal,
personnel and administrative functions. Company Secretary is required
to handle matters related to central/state sales tax, excise laws, labour
laws and corporate law.
Company Secretaryship course is divided into three stages- Foundation
Programme, Executive Programme and Professional Programme. This course
is a mixture of postal tuition, optional coaching classes and regular
examinations at specified centers. Candidates who have passed senior secondary
(10+2) can apply for the Foundation Programme. Graduates, post-graduates
(excluding Fine arts) and those who have passed final exam of ICWAI or
ICAI or of any other accountancy Institution in India
or abroad recognized by the Council of the Institute can directly enroll
to the Executive Programme without doing the Foundation course. Candidates
who have passed the Executive Programme can apply for the Final course.
Registration for each examination should be done at least nine months
before the month in which the examination is held. The examinations are
usually held in June and December every year. Study material is provided
to the students at the time of admission.
In recent times, the rapid corporatisation has increased the demand
for Company Secretary's in corporate functions.
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