Introduction
The Union Cabinet on 28 August 2019 has issued a press release
proposing some significant changes to the Foreign Direct Investment
("FDI") policy of the Government of
India, specifically relating to 4 (four) sectors as detailed below.
Whilst the fine print of the revised policy is awaited, following
are some of the key changes proposed:
Key changes proposed to the FDI policy
(a) Contract Manufacturing
Whilst the extant FDI policy permits 100% FDI under automatic
route (that is, without the prior approval of any governmental
authority) in the manufacturing sector, there is no specific
provision for contract manufacturing. It is now proposed to clarify
that 100% FDI is also permitted under the automatic route
specifically for contract manufacturing activities undertaken in
India. This clarifies that foreign investors can set up and operate
entities engaged solely in the business of contract manufacturing.
The liberalization has been announced with a