10,113 firms voluntarily shut operations during Apr 2020-Feb 2021: Govt

 Over 10,000 companies shut down voluntarily from April 2020 till February this year, also a period when the coronavirus and subsequent lockdowns had significantly disrupted economic activities

Over 10,000 companies were shut down voluntarily in the country from April 2020 till February this year, also a period when the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent lockdowns had significantly disrupted economic activities.

The latest data available with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) showed that a total of 10,113 companies were struck off under Section 248(2) of the Companies Act, 2013, in the current financial year till February.

Section 248(2) implies that the companies had shut their businesses voluntarily and not due to any penal action.

The ministry administers the Act and maintains the registry of companies on the basis of documents and applications filed.

In a written reply to the Lok Sabha on Monday, Minister of State for Corporate Affairs Anurag Singh Thakur said the ministry does not maintain any record of the companies that have gone out of business.

"A total of 10,113 companies during the year 2020-21 (from the month of April 2020 to February 2021) have been struck off under section 248(2) of the Act. MCA has not run any drive to strike off companies suo moto during 2020-21," he.

As per the ministry's data, a total of 2,394 companies were struck off in Delhi while the number stood at 1,936 companies in Uttar Pradesh.

Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra saw shutting down of 1,322 companies and 1,279 companies, respectively, during the April 2020-February 2021 period.