M Damodaran

Capital markets regulator Sebi's recent directive on minimum information has many inconsistencies and is "laughable", former Sebi chairman M Damodaran said on Wednesday. Addressing an event organized by the Institute of Internal Auditors here, Damodaran said we will not be able to see good governance at companies if there are prescriptive arrangements, and advocated that such practices come from within. He quipped that the February 14 directive on industry standards on minimum information to be provided for review by the audit committee and shareholders for approval of a related party transaction is a "very elaborate" document. "Even the tabular statement is several pages long. It has so many things that if you take them seriously, you will have a problem. So it's better to read them, laugh at them and go on with life," the IAS officer-turned-regulator said. "There are inconsistencies within that document. There are inconsistencies that that document has with other prescriptions fr

Airawat Indices Pvt Ltd, a joint venture firm founded by former Sebi Chairman M Damodaran and Decimal Point Analytics, has launched a new index ATOM, comprising 30 midcap companies listed on stock exchanges. ATOM (Airawat Touchstone MidCap Index) is a thematic index designed to serve investors seeking to invest in "well-governed mid-cap companies", the company said in a release. The joint venture has selected these 30 midcap companies from the AMFI's (Association of Mutual Funds in India) list of midcap 150 stocks as the starting point of its scoring methodology. Damodaran, former Chairman of UTI and IDBI, also announced a Corporate Governance Index for midcap companies. The methodology to select the 30 companies in ATOM captures the financial quality and corporate governance standards of the AMFI midcap universe, it said, adding the index is reconstituted every six months based on revisions AMFI makes to its list of 150 midcap companies. Speaking at the launch of ATOM, Damodaran

Speaking at the summit, the former bureaucrat added the need for specialised talent in the regulatory bodies, ranging from lawyers to accountants and auditors

The Board of Directors of InterGlobe Aviation has approved the appointment of Damodaran as Non-Independent Non-Executive Director, subject to shareholders' approval, a company statement said.

Every mistake that catches the regulator's attention is a mistake that has gone past the trustees, who didn't notice it or noticed but did not do anything about it, he says

Damodaran said India has been pushing for single-window clearances for the last two decades and quipped, "there are no single windows, but only closed doors" here.

The independence of the board doesn't depend on numbers, says M Damodaran

Defending public sector banks, Damodaran said privatisation cannot be the solution for all the bad loans issues they face

Independent directors have a very important role to play, says M Damodaran