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KCA News Magazine:   The KCA News Magazine is being re-started after a gap of several years (we are still trying to find out if it was published after 1941, which is the last year of which we have a record!).  An editorial board has been formed & preparations are on for a launch in July Appointment of Balloting Committee & Opening of MembershipA new balloting committee has been appointed & new membership has been opened (click the links for more) Appointment of Legal & Finance sub-committeeA new Legal & Finance sub-committee has been appointed to advise the managing council on various legal & financial matters including the Noble Chambers legal case, last 7 years accounts etc Information Technology improvements Installation of a CCTV surveillance system was set-up to improve the security environment of the KCA premises Registration of KCA as an NGO with Nasscom – for free & subsidized software products & services Registration of www.kcamumbai.org & installation of free google apps services including e-mail, website etc KCA website planned for launch in July (with the KCA News Magazine) Important decision regarding members being vendors of the KCAThe following guidelines were approved by the Managing Council regarding members who do work (as a supplier or contractor) for the KCA: Trustees or their relatives:  cannot be a vendor of the KCA as per Income-tax Rules (relative is defined as sibling, parent, child or spouse) Managing Council Members:  cannot be a vendor as long as they serve on the Council (as per proposed KCA code of ethics) Sub-committee Members: cannot be a vendor as long as they serve on the Sub-committee (as per proposed KCA code of ethics) This decision, we believe will enhance the credibility of the KCA & prevent any conflict of interest situations from arising.

New Sub-committees formed After the first function for members in more than 7 years, and the hectic efforts to complete the repair work before the Thanksgiving Mass, the momentum towards getting the KCA out of its hibernation gathered pace.  The Social & Charitable sub-committee and the Sports sub-committee were constituted & met for the first time.  Planning began for re-starting the Housie sessions for members, with stronger checks & balances than earlier.    Building organizational capacityStrengthening internal processes & building organizational capacity to handle the increase in activity, were given a priority.  A new senior manager, with more than 20 years experience in the banking sector (Citizen Bank, IndusInd Bank, HSBC) was recruited alongwith another junior executive to handle Hall management & administration.   The computerization & updation of the member database was given a fillip with the recruitment of a Member Relations executive, who even went to visit some of the members at their homes.  When the new council took over there were no computerised membership records available, with our only reference point being 7-8 hard copies of address books;  significant progress has been made since then.  Our Accounting system (Tally) which was running on a 2007 version was upgraded to the latest Tally ERP (2016 version) for the new financial year.  Building a fire-exit for the first floor halls & completing some of the unfinished repair work (under the able supervision of our Treasurer, Vernon Alvares) were some of the other matters that were addressed

There were 3 main issues which were debated by the Managing Council, before it decided to undertake extensive repairs & renovations in Feb-Mar 2016 The issue of the Repair Fund / 12A compliance as explained earlier in Feb 2016: Updates A statutorily required Structural Audit (required for all buildings more than 30 years old), had just been completed and extensive repairs were recommended at an initially estimated cost of Rs 60 lacs (as computed by the structural engineer); certain repairs (like plaster falling off the hall ceiling, demolition of dilapidated structures in the compound) were recommended to be done on an urgent basis as there was threat to life & limb The Cultural & Recreation sub-committee, who were planning for the Thanksgiving Mass, requested the Managing Council if the repair / renovation of the Hall, Bathrooms & Compound could be taken up before the function planned for April 2, 2016, as the premises were in a really bad state; not much attention was paid to repairs while the KCA was in ‘hibernation’ for the previous 7 years While the Council was open to take this up on war footing & quickly appoint a contractor for the same, we had to comply with Rule 11(b) of the KCA Rules & Regulations which states “Awarding of Contract of over Rs one lakh after inviting quotations shall be reserved for the General Body”Given the time constraints in calling for a General Body Meeting, after much debate, the council decided to go ahead with certain repairs & renovations strictly within the rules of the KCA, without contravening Rule 11(b), on the following basis: The work would be done on a time & material (T&M) basis; no contract would be awarded  The KCA would buy material directly from vendors & directly hire labour for specific work like carpenters, masons, electricians etc  3 quotations would be taken for specific pieces of work where vendors were appointed and wherever considered practical.  All payments to be made strictly by cheque  TDS to be deducted on all payments  The Managing Council to closely monitor, review & approve the work from time to time Update on August 10, 2016:Out of the total amount of Rs 21,17,947, an amount of Rs 18,82,852 has been considered in the financial statements for the previous year ended March 31, 2016, while the balance of Rs 2,35,095 will be considered in the financial statements for the current year ie the year ended March 31, 2017. This amount was spent from the repair fund and has been categorised as Urgent Repairs (Rs 5,03,835) and Renovations / Improvements (Rs 16,14,112) respectively. A summary of the amount expended is provided in the table below: Members may also note that the entire expenditure has been audited by our Statutory Auditors, Gonsalves & Associates. Further, the Legal & Finance Committee of the KCA, which is independent of the Managing Council, has reviewed & approved of the expenditure. A summary of the expenditure including dates of approvals at MC meetings, list of bills from vendors, list of cheques issued, details of TDS deducted etc, for each of the 2 categories of expenses, can be downloaded from the files below Those members interested in seeing some photographs & more details of the expenses including scanned copies of the bills can click here.

With the revocation of suspensions completed, many of the active members of the KCA came forward to offer their help & services to the Association.  The Managing Council sent out it’s first communication to members (the letter can be downloaded below), the Cultural & Recreation sub-committee was constituted & the Managing Council was revamped. A Thanksgiving Mass was the most appropriate way to kick-off activities at the KCA.  However, since Lent was already upon us, the Mass was postponed to April 2 (after Easter).  You can read more about the Thanksgiving Mass & Get-together here. Important Decision regarding Managing Council members:  After some discussion, the Managing Council decided that immediate relatives (siblings, parents, children, spouses) should not serve on the Council at the same time.  Moreover, members on previous Councils confirmed that this was a long tradition of the KCA, which had been followed for many years.  Although there was nothing in the KCA Rules & Regulations preventing this, the Council felt that the credibility of the institution was enhanced by this tradition.   Following this decision, a couple of Managing Council members stepped down & new members came on board.  For the current list of Managing Council members, please click here. Repair Fund:  Most members with a financial or legal bent of mind will appreciate that as a 12A organisation under Income Tax law, there are certain statutory requirements to met to comply with this section.  One of these is that 85% of the income of the KCA must be spent towards the objects of the Trust.  If 85% cannot be spent in that year, it can be carried forward & spent within 5 years succeeding that year.  If not spent within the given 5-year period, income tax with associated interest & penalties are applicable on the unspent amount. The repair & maintenance of trust assets (our building) comes within the definition of ‘objects of the Trust’.  The previous Managing Council was wise enough to understand that the 47-year old building that we occupy needs periodic repairs, and the accumulated balance in the Repair Fund stood at Rs 90 lacs as of October 2015, when the new Managing Council took over. In order to comply with the requirements of Section 12A, and to keep the institution from being penalised with tax, interest & penalties, an amount of Rs 18.15 lacs needed to be spent before March 31, 2016.  With this background, the Managing Council decided to undertake certain critical repairs before March 31.