The Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) is an Indian government ministry primarily responsible for the regulation and administration of the corporate sector. It was formed in May 2004 after the bifurcation of the erstwhile Department of Company Affairs (DCA) from the Ministry of Finance. The DCA's origin dates back to 1956, established to administer the original Companies Act, 1956. The MCA's evolution was driven by the need for a focused approach to corporate governance and to address issues like accounting scandals, which led to the replacement of the Companies Act, 1956 with the comprehensive Companies Act, 2013.
The MCA's mechanism involves administering key legislation, including the Companies Act, 2013, the Limited Liability Partnership Act, 2008, and the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC), 2016. Its functions include maintaining the registry of companies, enforcing legal provisions, and promoting Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Compliance is facilitated through the e-governance portal, MCA21. The MCA is connected to several crucial institutions, such as the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO), the Competition Commission of India (CCI), the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT), and the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT).
Recently, the MCA has introduced significant amendments to reduce the compliance burden and enhance transparency. Effective from March 31, 2026, the annual Director's KYC filing requirement under the Companies Act, 2013 was replaced with a triennial intimation, meaning once every three years. Furthermore, in December 2025, the definition of a 'small company' was enhanced to a paid-up share capital of up to ₹10 crore and a turnover of up to ₹100 crore. The MCA also amended the Companies (Accounting Standards) Rules, 2021, on March 10, 2026, by adding new paragraphs 32A to 32D to AS 22 to align with the OECD's Pillar Two tax rules.