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Learning Circle - Foreign Investments
Sectoral cap on Investments by persons
resident outside India

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Foreign Investments in India (Part: 4)
Annexure B to Schedule I of FEMA Notification No. FEMA 20 /2000-RB dated May 3, 2000

(as amended vide Notification No. FEMA 94-RB dated June 18, 2003)

Sectoral cap on Investments by persons resident outside India

Sectoral cap on Investments by persons resident outside India
Sector Investment Cap Description of Activity / Items / Conditions
1.Private Sector Banking* 49% Subject to guidelines issued by RBI from time to time
2. Non-Banking Financial Companies 100%

FDI/NRI investments allowed in the following 19 NBFC activities shall be as per the levels indicated below :

  1. Activities covered :

    1. Merchant Banking

    2. Under writing

    3. Portfolio Management Service

    4. Investment Advisory Services

    5. Financial Consultancy

    6. Stock-broking

    7. Asset Management

    8. Venture Capital

    9. Custodial Services

    10. Factoring

    11. Credit Reference Agencies

    12. Credit Rating Agencies

    13. Leasing & Finance

    14. Housing Finance

    15. Forex-broking

    16. Credit Card Business

    17. Money-changing Business

    18. Micro-credit

    19. Rural credit

  2. Minimum Capitalisation norms for fund based NBFCs

    1. for FDI upto 51%, US $ 0.5 million to be brought in upfront

    2. If the FDI is above 51 % and upto 75 %, US $ 5 million to be brought upfront

    3. If the FDI is above75 % and upto 100 %, US $ 50 million out of which $ 7.5 million to be brought in upfront and the balance in 24 months

  3. Minimum Capitalisation norms for non-fund based activities.

  4. Minimum Capitalisation norm of US$0.5 million is applicable in respect of non-fund based NBFCs with foreign investment

  5. Foreign investors can set up 100% operating subsidiaries without the condition to disinvest a minimum of 25% of its equity to Indian entities, subject to bringing in US $ 50 million as at b) (iii) above ( without any restriction on number of operating subsidiaries without bringing in additional capital)

  6. Joint Venture operating NBFCs that have 75% or less than 75% foreign investment will also be allowed to set up subsidiaries for undertaking other NBFC activities , subject to the subsidiaries also complying with the applicable -minimum capital inflow i.e, (b)(i) and (b)(ii) above.

  7. FDI in the NBFC sector is put on automatic route subject to compliance with guidelines of the Reserve Bank of India. RBI would issue appropriate guidelines in this regard

3. Insurance 26%

FDI upto 26% in the Insurance sector is allowed on the automatic route subject to obtaining licence from Insurance Regulatory & Development Authority(IRDA)

4. Telecommunications 49 %
  1. In basic, Cellular, Value Added Services, and Global Mobile Personal Communications by Satellite, FDI is limited to 49% subject to licencing and security requirements and adherence by the companies (who are investing and the companies in which the investment is being made ) to the license conditions for foreign equity cap and lock-in period for transfer and addition of equity and other license provisions.

  2. ISPs with gateways, radio paging and end-to-end bandwidth, FDI is permitted upto74% with FDI, beyond 49% requiring Government approval. These services would be subject to licensing and security requirements

  3. No equity cap is applicable to manufacturing activities

  4. FDI upto 100% is allowed for the following activities in the telecom sector:

    1. ISPs not providing gateways (both for satellite and submarine cables)

    2. Infrastructure Providers providing dark fibre (IP Category 1)

    3. Electronic Mail, and

    4. Voice Mail

The above would be subject to the following conditions;

FDI upto 100% is allowed subject to the condition that such companies would divest 26% of their equity in favour of Indian public in 5 years, if these companies are listed in other parts of the world

The above services would be subject to licencing and security requirements, wherever required

Proposal for FDI beyond 49% shall be considered by FIPB on case to case basis.

5. Petroleum Refining (Private Sector)
Petroleum Product Marketing
Petroleum product pipelines
100%
All

FDI permitted upto 100 % in case of private Indian companies.
Subject to the existing sectoral policy and regulatory framework in the oil marketing sector
Subject to Govt. policy and regulations

6. Housing and Real Estate 100 %

Only NRIs are allowed to invest upto 100 % in the areas listed below :

  1. Development of serviced plots and construction of built-up residential premises

  2. Investment in real estate covering construction of residential and commercial premises including business centres and offices

  3. Development of townships

  4. City and regional level urban infrastructure facilities, including both roads and bridges

  5. Investment in manufacture of building materials

  6. Investment in participatory ventures in (a) to (e) above

  7. Investment in Housing finance institutions which is also opened to FDI as an NBFC

7. Coal & Lignite  
  1. Private Indian companies setting up or operating power projects as well as coal and lignite mines for captive consumption are allowed FDI upto 100%.

  2. 100% FDI is allowed for setting up coal processing plants subject to the condition that the company shall not do coal mining and shall not sell washed coal or sized coal from its coal processing plants in the open market and shall supply the washed or sized coal to those parties who are supplying raw coal to coal processing plants for washing or sizing.

  3. FDI upto 74% is allowed for exploration or mining of coal or lignite for captive consumption.

  4. In all the above cases, FDI is allowed upto 50% under the automatic route subject to the condition that such investment shall not exceed 49%of the equity of a PSU.

8. Venture Capital Fund (VCF) and Venture Capital Company(VCC)  

Offshore Venture Capital Funds/ companies are allowed to invest in domestic venture capital undertaking as well as other companies through the automatic route, subject only to SEBI regulations and sector specific caps on FDI.

9. Trading  

Trading is permitted under automatic route with FDI upto 51% provided it is primarily export activities, and the undertaking is an export house/ trading house / super trading house/ star trading house. However, under the FIPB route:

  1. 100% FDI is permitted in case of trading companies for the following activities:

    1. exports;

    2. bulk imports with export/ ex-bonded warehouse sales;

    3. cash and carry wholesale trading;

    4. other import of goods or services provided at least 75% is for procurement and sale of the same group and not for third party use or onward transfer/ distribution/sales

  2. The following kinds of trading are also permitted , subject to provisions of Exim Policy

  3. Companies for providing after sales services( that is not trading per se)

  4. Domestic trading of products of JVs is permitted at the wholesale level for such trading companies who wish to market manufactured products on behalf of their Joint ventures in which they have equity participation in India

  5. Trading of hi-tech items/ items requiring specialised after sales service

  6. Trading of items for social sector

  7. Trading of hi-tech, medical and diagnostic items.

  8. Trading of items sourced from the small scale sector under which, based on technology provided and laid down quality specifications, a company can market that item under its brand name

  9. Domestic sourcing of products for exports

  10. Test marketing of such items for which a company has approval for manufacture provided such test marketing facility will be for a period of two years, and investment in setting up manufacturing facilities commences simultaneously with test marketing.

  11. i. FDI upto 100% permitted for e-commerce activities subject to the condition that such companies would divest 26% of their equity in favour of the Indian public in five years, if these companies are listed in other parts of the world. Such companies would engage only in business to business (B2B) e-commerce and not in retail trading

10. Power 100%

FDI allowed upto 100 % in respect of projects relating to electricity generation, transmission and distribution, other than atomic reactor power plants. There is no limit on the project cost and quantum of foreign direct investment.

11. Drugs & Pharmaceuticals 100 %

FDI permitted upto 100 % for manufacture of drugs and pharmaceuticals provided the activity does not attract compulsory licensing or involve use of recombinant DNA technology and specific cell/tissue targeted formulations.

FDI proposals for the manufacture of licensable drugs and pharmaceuticals and bulk drugs produced by recombinant DNA technology and specific cell/tissue targeted formulations will require prior Govt. approval.

12. Road and highways, Ports and harbours 100%

In projects for construction and maintenance of roads, highways, vehicular bridges, toll roads, vehicular tunnels, ports and harbours.

13. Hotel & Tourism 100 %

The term hotels include restaurants, beach resorts and other tourist complexes providing accommodation and/ or catering and food facilities to tourists. Tourism related industry include travel agencies, tour operating agencies and tourist transport operating agencies, units providing facilities for cultural, adventure and wild life experience to tourists, surface, air and water transport facilities to tourists, leisure, entertainment, amusement, sports and health units for tourists and Convention/Seminar units and organisations.

For foreign technology agreements, automatic approval is granted if

  1. Upto 3% of the capital cost of the project is proposed to be paid for technical and consultancy services including fees for architects, design, supervision, etc.

  2. ii. Upto 3% of the net turnover is payable for franchising and marketing/publicity support fee, and

  3. Upto 10% of gross operating profit is payable for management fee, including incentive fee.

14.Mining 74 %
100 %

    For exploration and mining of diamonds and precious stones FDI is allowed upto 74 % under automatic route

    For exploration and mining of gold and silver and minerals other than diamonds and precious stones, metallurgy and processing FDI is allowed upto 100 % under automatic route .

    iii. Press Note 18 (1998 series) dated 14/12/98 would not be applicable for setting up 100 % owned subsidiaries in so far as the mining sector is concerned, subject to a declaration from the applicant that he has no existing joint venture for the same area and/or the particular mineral.

15. Advertising 100 %

Advertising Sector - FDI upto 100 % allowed on the automatic route

16. Films 100 %

Film Sector - (Film production, exhibition and distribution including related services/products)
FDI upto 100 % allowed on the automatic route with no entry-level condition

17. Airports 74 % Govt approval required beyond 74 %
18. Mass Rapid Transport Systems 100 %

FDI upto 100% is permitted on the automatic route in mass rapid transport system in all metros including associated real estate development

19. Pollution Control & Management 100 %

In both manufacture of pollution control equipment and consultancy for integration of pollution control systems is permitted on the automatic route

20. Special Economic Zones 100 %

All manufacturing activities except: (i) Arms and ammunition, Explosives and allied items Of defence equipments, Defence aircrafts and warships, (ii) Atomic substances, Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances and hazardous Chemicals, (iii) Distillation and brewing of Alcoholic drinks and Cigarette/cigars and manufactured tobacco substitutes

21.Any other Sector/Activity
(if not included in Annexure A)
100 %

 

* Govt of India vide Press Note No.2 (2004 Series) has raised the FDI limit in Private Sector banks from 49% to 74%. RBI is yet to issue Notification.


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