Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has announced in Budget 2017 that Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) will be abolished soon. FIPB is the nodal agency to clear FDI proposals.
The Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) offers a single window clearance for applications on Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in India that are under the approval route. The sectors under automatic route do not require any prior approval from FIPB and are subject to only sectoral laws.
In the last two years, the government has brought major FDI policy reforms in a number of sectors, including defence, construction development, insurance, pension sector, broadcasting sector, tea, coffee, rubber, cardamom, palm oil tree and olive oil tree plantations, single brand retail trading, manufacturing sector, limited liability partnerships, civil aviation, credit information companies, satellites – establishment/operation and asset reconstruction companies.
The FIPB was initially constituted under the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) in the wake of the economic liberalization drive of the early 1990s. The recommendations of the FIPB were approved through a 3-tier approval mechanism, viz. FIPB as a committee of senior officials to examine and make recommendations; Empowered Committee on Foreign Investment (ECFI) chaired by the Finance Minister for deciding on the recommendations of the FIPB for projects in which the total investment in the project was up to Rs. 300 crore; and the Cabinet Committee on Foreign Investment (CCFI) for deciding on the recommendations of the FIPB for projects in which the total investment was more than Rs. 300 crore.
FIPB has been decided to be abolished, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley declared in his budget presentation on 1st February.
