New Delhi, Sep 28 (TIWN) The Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) extended, till December 31, 2020, the timelines for several relaxations on compliance norms and schemes rolled out to provide relief and support to companies amid the pandemic.

Post the decisions, the Companies Fresh Start Scheme, 2020 will be valid till December 31, from September 30 and the board meetings of companies can be held through video conference or other audiovisual mechanism till the end of this year.  "The Ministry of Corporate Affairs has extended the duration of several schemes till 31.12.2020 in view of the continued disruption caused due to the COVID-19 pandemic in certain parts of the country and to provide greater Ease of Doing Business," the office of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said in a tweet.  The ministry had introduced the Companies Fresh Start Scheme, 2020, valid from April 1, 2020, to September 2020, to enable companies to make good their previous defaults. This scheme has now been extended until December 31, 2020.