The Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) in India has been transitioning from the MCA-21 Version 2 (V2) to Version 3 (V3) portal, aiming to enhance digital governance for corporate entities. However, this shift has presented several technical challenges affecting stakeholders, including company secretaries, chartered accountants, and corporate professionals.
Key Technical Challenges:
- Master Data Inconsistencies: Post-approval of various forms such as SPICe (Simplified Proforma for Incorporating Company Electronically), MGT-14 (Filing of Resolutions and Agreements), and DIR-12 (Particulars of Appointment of Directors), discrepancies have been noted in the master data. These include incorrect details related to incorporations, appointments, and cessations.
- Digital Signature Certificate (DSC) Validation Issues: Users have reported frequent failures in DSC validation during form submissions, leading to delays in compliance processes.
- Payment and Challan Generation Problems: Difficulties in processing payments and generating challans have been observed, causing interruptions in official filings and financial transactions.
- Form Accessibility and Submission Errors: Certain forms, including those migrated from V2 and newly introduced in V3, are not visible to Registrar of Companies (ROC) or Regional Director (RD) offices, resulting in prolonged approval times. Additionally, pre-filled fields in forms often appear blank, hindering the submission process.
- View Public Document (VPD) Service Downtime: The VPD service has experienced significant downtimes, restricting stakeholders’ ability to access and verify essential corporate documents.
Government’s Response:
The Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI) has proactively communicated these issues to the MCA, providing detailed accounts of the challenges faced by professionals. The MCA has acknowledged these concerns and is reportedly working on resolving them to ensure a smoother user experience on the MCA-21 V3 portal.
Conclusion:
While the upgrade to the MCA-21 V3 portal is a commendable step towards digital transformation, addressing the technical glitches is crucial for seamless corporate compliance and governance. Continuous collaboration between the MCA and professional bodies like ICSI is essential to identify, communicate, and rectify these issues promptly.
