eYantra ventures Limited has strengthened its board leadership with the appointment of Mr. Rahul Rasa as Additional Director (Non-Executive). The appointment was approved during a board meeting held on January 20, 2026, based on the recommendation of the company's Nomination and Remuneration Committee.

Board Meeting Details

The board meeting was conducted efficiently, commencing at 5:00 PM and concluding at 5:17 PM on January 20, 2026. The appointment decision was made in compliance with Regulation 30 of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015.

Professional Background and Expertise

Mr. Rahul Rasa brings substantial experience across multiple sectors to eYantra Ventures Limited's board. His professional journey spans fintech, regulated financial services, corporate finance, and multi-sector operations, positioning him as a valuable addition to the company's strategic leadership.

Fintech and Regulatory Experience

As Co-founder of ZikZuk Technologies, Mr. Rasa has been actively involved in developing RBI-aligned fintech platforms in the payments and prepaid instruments space. His regulatory expertise includes:

• Leading the process for obtaining in-principle approval from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for Prepaid Payment Instruments (PPI) business
• Managing regulatory readiness and system audits
• Establishing governance processes and pre-go-live controls
• Ensuring compliance with fintech regulations

Corporate Finance and Investment Banking

Prior to his fintech ventures, Mr. Rasa worked as a corporate and investment banking professional, gaining exposure to structured finance, financial products, and institutional processes. This background provides him with deep understanding of capital markets and financial structuring.

Healthcare Sector Involvement

Mr. Rasa also serves as a Director at NASA Hospitals, a Hyderabad-based hospital chain, where he has been involved in structuring strategic investments and providing governance oversight. This experience demonstrates his ability to contribute across diverse industry sectors.

Strategic Value Addition

The appointment of Mr. Rasa aligns with eYantra Ventures Limited's strategic objectives. His expertise in fintech regulation, capital allocation, governance, and execution is expected to contribute to strategic oversight and long-term value creation across the company's merchandise and IT services businesses.

Regulatory Compliance

The appointment has been made in full compliance with regulatory requirements, with all necessary disclosures provided as per SEBI regulations. The company has confirmed that Mr. Rasa has no relationships with other directors, ensuring independence in his role as Non-Executive Director.

Ernst & Young has presented ambitious recommendations for Budget 2026, proposing a comprehensive restructuring of India's tax deducted at source (TDS) framework to enhance ease of doing business and reduce compliance burdens on corporations.

Current TDS Framework Challenges

The existing Income Tax Act contains nearly 37 different TDS provisions for payments made to residents, each featuring distinct rates and thresholds. According to EY, this complex structure creates significant operational challenges for businesses, particularly those with extensive vendor and employee networks. The firm highlights that the current system leads to frequent disputes, interpretational challenges, and elevated compliance costs across various business sectors.

Proposed Consolidation Structure

EY's recommendations center on streamlining the existing framework into a simplified structure. The proposed consolidation would establish three to four broad TDS categories designed to cover all payment scenarios while maintaining revenue collection efficiency.

This rationalized approach aims to reduce ambiguity in payment classification, lower litigation risks, and simplify compliance procedures without compromising government revenue collection objectives.

Elimination of Low-Rate TDS

The consulting firm has specifically targeted the removal of 0.1% TDS applicable to certain transactions, arguing that this provision has exceeded its original utility. EY contends that the low-rate TDS was initially introduced as a reporting and tracking mechanism rather than a revenue-generation tool, and its continued application creates unnecessary administrative overhead.

The firm emphasizes that transactions under the Goods and Services Tax regime benefit from comprehensive tracking through multiple mechanisms:

• Digital invoice systems
• GST return filings
• Real-time reporting frameworks

EY argues that maintaining TDS requirements on GST-covered transactions results in duplicated compliance obligations and increased administrative costs for businesses.

Digital Integration and Oversight

With the government's expanded digital monitoring capabilities across direct and indirect tax systems, EY believes GST data can effectively fulfill the tracking objectives originally served by the 0.1% TDS provision. The firm notes that reconciliation between GST and direct tax streams is already operational in several cases, supporting the feasibility of eliminating redundant TDS requirements.

Strengthened real-time integration between GST and direct tax systems would further support this transition, enabling comprehensive oversight without imposing additional compliance burdens on businesses.

Broader Tax Simplification Initiative

EY's TDS rationalization recommendations form part of a comprehensive approach to tax law simplification ahead of Budget 2026. The proposals align with broader objectives to reduce business friction, improve tax certainty, and enhance overall compliance efficiency across India's tax ecosystem. These recommendations reflect ongoing efforts to modernize India's tax framework while maintaining robust revenue collection and oversight mechanisms.