FDI inflows into India declined from $31.5 billion in 2011 to $27.3 billion in 2012, Unctad said in a report on global investment trends, which it released on Thursday.
The Union Cabinet on Thursday deferred a decision on a proposal to allow FDI in construction sector.
Despite public-private partnership projects announced in several rail budgets, the investment since 2000 has been merely Rs 3,000 crore.
United Progressive Alliance's second largest partner Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam on Monday demanded reconsideration of the decision to allow FDI in the multi-brand retail sector and said it would back any opposition-sponsored resolution that may be brought on the issue in Parliament.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said his government has carried out major reforms -- including labour reforms and reforms in insurance and defence sectors -- 'in less than 100 days' and stopped reversals Indian economy had been facing.
Retail, telecom, media and a host of sectors in which foreign direct investment is restricted stand to gain from changes in FDI policy that the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs cleared on Wednesday linking approvals to the concept of control for the first time.
After the UPA tried unsuccessfully since 2010 to raise the 26 per cent cap on foreign direct investment (FDI) in defence production, a move that indigenous defence companies and former Defence Minister AK Antony resisted staunchly, the new government has initiated a fresh attempt along the same lines.
There is unlikely to be a rush towards the country unless New Delhi is ready with fairly applied regulations.
As many as 14 central government services have already been integrated with the e-biz portal.
The government has relaxed the norms for allowing foreign direct investment (FDI) in the construction development sector. It is expected the move will boost affordable housing projects and smart cities across the country.
$5 mn FDI must come in six months: Govt to construction firms.
"I don't think that it is government's view that the present inflation cannot be brought under control without FDI in multi-brand retail. We can bring inflation under control," Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia said.
Foreign direct investment (FDI) into China fell for a sixth straight month in April amid global economic downturn causing concern in the world's second largest economy.
Bentonville-based Walmart has also raised apprehensions about the ongoing probe by investigating agency Enforcement Directorate, said an internal note of the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion.
Countries all over the world are struggling to attract foreign direct investment.
Leading corporate lawyers and accounting firms have swung into action to interpret the grey areas in the multi-brand retail FDI policy and suggest follow-up action to clients before they start striking deals.
The government engineered a victory of sorts when it succeeded in neutralising the Samajwadi party, the Bahujan Samajwadi Party, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the Trinamool Congress in stacking up the numbers on the FDI issue, says Renu Mittal.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday sprung a surprise for the UPA-II and more so for Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, who is championing the cause of Foreign Direct Investment, when it released a letter dated December 21, 2002, in which the prime minister had opposed FDI.
Following the government move to allow FDI policy in the civil aviation sector, Chairman of debt-ridden Kingfisher Airlines Vijay Mallya on Wednesday said the carrier was in talks with foreign airlines.
Commerce Minister Anand Sharma on Monday expressed optimism that the total FDI inflows this fiscal will the same as in the previous year's at $27 billion.
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The report comes at a time when the government is trying to clear pending FDI proposals, which include various planned investments in this sector.
As Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi launched an attack on parties opposing FDI in retail and other measures, CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat said FDI will be the central issue in the coming session.
After supermarket giant Walmart, it is online retail major Amazon which has begun lobbying with the US lawmakers to seek their support for facilitating its "foreign direct investment in India".
Voting will be held in the Rajya Sabha on Friday on the Bharatiya Janata Party's motion opposing the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance Government's move to allow Foreign Direct Investment in multi-brand retail.
The report -- World Investment and Political Risk -- which was launched by the World Bank's Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency said the net FDI inflows into the developing countries is projected to touch $416 billion in 2010, up from its 2009 level of $354 billion.
The US companies have huge interest in investing in high-tech commerce in India, which has the advantage of large human capital, David C Mulford, US Ambassador to India, said on Tuesday.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday reached out to Jayalalithaa-led All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam to seek its support on the issue of foreign direct investment in multi-brand retail.
Jaitley evaded vital questions on this issue.
The meeting came against the backdrop of members of DMK and Trinamool Congress joining opposition in demanding rollback and a discussion in Parliament under an adjournment motion.
India and China are emerging as significant sources of foreign direct investment in Africa even as the overall percentage of FDI from Asian countries targeted towards the continent remains low, the United Nations has said.
Foreign direct investment (FDI) in India declined sharply for the second month in a row in Maywith inflows slipping to $1.32 billion from $4.66 billion in the year-ago period, reflecting the impact of slowing global economy.
The decision to allow 51 per cent foreign direct investments in multi-brand retail has been put on hold by the government following strong objections from the Opposition and key United Progressive Alliance allies Trinamool Congress and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.
Contrary to Modi's claim of the state being the largest beneficiary of Foreign Direct Investment, Gujarat has received only $8 billion of foreign investment during the 13-year period beginning 2000, according to the Union Minister.
Enthused by 174 per cent growth in services trade this year, India is readying to make an aggressive offer in the WTO negotiations on services.
In a major policy reversal, the AAP government wrote to the Centre to withdraw approval given by previous Congress government for FDI in multi-brand retailing in Delhi, saying the entry of global chains such as Walmart and Tesco in India would result in large-scale job losses.
Accusing the United Progressive Alliance government of "heaping hardships on people," Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa flayed its "knee-jerk" reaction of increasing Foreign Direct Investment cap in different sectors and warned that its "insensitivity" towards people will take its toll soon.
The move to delink the FDI provisions from investments by foreign institutional investors in real estate under the portfolio investment scheme was expected to lead to greater stock market play in real estate scrips. Government sources said the clarification was not mentioned in the minutes of the Cabinet meeting sent to the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion recently. As a consequence, a press note could not be issued.
The government has asked industry to provide a list of Chinese suppliers that would like to shift some capacity to India provided they are willing to set up JVs with Indian companies.
Why is the Bharatiya Janata Party opposed to FDI in retail? A day after promising to scrap FDI in retail, the BJP set about fine-tuning its line to ensure it did not fall foul of the middle-class.
Seeking to dismiss reports of differences in NDA over FDI in multi-brand retail, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday said it was opposed to the decision in toto and indicated that it will scrap the policy if it comes to power.
