THEBUSINESSBYTES
BUREAU
NEW
DELHI, OCTOBER 4, 2026
Vice-President C. P.
Radhakrishnan on Sunday described company secretaries as the “guardians of
governance” and the nucleus of India Inc.’s “trust architecture”, stressing
that transparency, accountability and ethical responsibility would remain
critical to sustaining investor confidence and India’s economic ambitions amid
rapid technological and business-model changes.
Addressing the 58th
Foundation Day celebrations of the Institute of Company Secretaries of India
(ICSI) at Bharat Mandapam here, Mr. Radhakrishnan said the Institute’s nearly
six-decade evolution mirrored the growing importance of the profession in
strengthening corporate transparency, investor confidence and India’s position
in the global economy.
In an environment increasingly
shaped by Artificial Intelligence, advanced data analytics and evolving
business models, company secretaries had a greater responsibility to safeguard
the legal, strategic and ethical foundations of corporate decision-making, he
said.
“Technology may transform the manner in which
information is generated and decisions are supported, but integrity,
accountability, transparency and responsibility remain human,” the
Vice-President said.
Describing trust,
transparency and corporate governance as the “invisible infrastructure” of a
modern economy, Mr. Radhakrishnan said sustained economic growth was
inseparable from investor confidence. Company secretaries, he said, occupied a
central position in this architecture and could help enterprises, start-ups,
family-owned businesses and listed companies pursue growth in a responsible
manner.
He said strong
institutions and sound governance would be as important as physical and digital
infrastructure in India's endeavour to build a Viksit Bharat.
Underscoring the
complementary role of the three major professional institutions, Mr.
Radhakrishnan said the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), the
Institute of Cost Accountants of India (ICMAI) and the ICSI would remain key
pillars of India’s corporate and economic ecosystem as the country worked
towards Viksit Bharat @2047.
The Vice-President
called for creating greater opportunities for young people to enter the company
secretarial profession and appreciated the ICSI’s fee-waiver initiatives. He
urged the Institute to sustain and expand its outreach among students.
He also launched the
MSME Compliance Calendar 2027, while appreciating the ICSI’s initiatives aimed
at strengthening the compliance ecosystem for micro, small and medium
enterprises and start-ups, including the ICSI MSME & Start-up Catalyst.
Radhakrishnan also
appreciated the ICSI’s contribution to the National Defence Fund under the
Shaheed Ki Beti initiative and the Armed Forces Flag Day Fund of the Ministry
of Defence.
“When the intention is good, everything will
be good,” he said.
In his concluding
remarks, the Vice-President called upon the ICSI to continue upholding the
trust placed in the profession and contribute to the building of a strong,
self-reliant and Viksit Bharat @2047.
India, he said,
should aspire to become the world’s largest economy not to dictate terms to
other countries, but “so that no one can dictate unwanted terms to us.”
Invoking the timeless ethos of “Satyam Vada, Dharmam Chara”, Mr. Radhakrishnan reiterated the importance of truth and righteous conduct in public and professional life and extended his greetings to the ICSI fraternity on its Foundation Day.
ICSI President C.S. Pawan Chandak, former Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament Dr. Sonal Mansingh and ICSI Secretary C.S. Asish Mohan, among others, were present at the event.
